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Kabul, AFGHANISTAN – Happy new year, 1404! In Afghanistan, we call New Year Nowruz, which means “new day” in Dari.
This year is the Year of the Snake, and the color of the year is brown.
The Year of the Snake can be a sign of luck, wealth and transformation. The color of the year is also a beautiful color.
In the New Year, people of Afghanistan decorate their tables with haft mewa, a fruit and nut dish, samanak, a sweet meal, and dried fruits.
Samanak is made from wheat and sprouts after 13 days like grass. A very tasty halwa is made from the root of samanak.
Some people also cook halwa for the New Year. On this day, everyone is happy and wears their new clothes.
Before Nowruz, many families do a big house cleaning, kind of like a spring cleaning.
This year’s New Year was very different because it was during Ramadan. Everyone celebrated the New Year at night because of fasting.
Nowruz is a time for families to come together. They have big meals, visit relatives, and enjoy each other’s company.
On New Year’s Day, everyone stays with their families and celebrates. Some people buy small orange fish for the New Year.
What I like most about the New Year is haft mewa, which is made from seven kinds of fruits, such as dates, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, oleaster, raisins, and apricots. It’s very delicious.
Nazanin Boniadi is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
