PESHAWAR: Unlike past, the most popular Afghan festival of Nauroz got a sombre welcome in and around Peshawar on Friday by Persian-speaking Afghan community as most families relied on social media wishing and greeting the advent of New Year being celebrated on the 20th of March.

The ‘Haftmewa’, a medley of seven dried fruits, is served to guests, relatives, friends and family members, while spring songs filled with mutual love and humanity are sung on the day to welcome the first day of the solar year coinciding with the first day of spring season.

Sadly, this year most Afghan families living in and around Peshawar city like other people virtually remained confined to their residences and relied on social media contacts to wish Nauroz with empty words as all kinds of social gatherings stood cancelled in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

Deedar Wali Jan, a young Persian-speaking Afghan, living in Peshawar’s Hayatabad area told this scribe that Jashne Nauroz couldn’t be celebrated with pomp and show like the previous years owing to the fear of coronavirus threat, but still the Afghan community came up with simple welcome home events by offering ‘Haftmewa’ and other dishes.

Mr Jan said that Jashne Nauroz used to be a rare occasion of social gathering where people would share sorrows, grief and a little pleasure, but the fear of virus took away even that little occasion of rendezvous.

“We kept it simple, decent and sombre, but still welcomed Nauroz with hopes and dreams for lasting peace and stability in our beloved country Afghanistan. Our children remained confused and even kept asking us why no celebrations, no outing and no guests. This is, however, a good omen that our kids know about Jashne Nauroz,” he maintained.

Aurangzeb Pahlavi, another Afghan, said that among other things ‘Haftmewa’ was considered the most favourite feature of Jashne Nauroz. He said that Afghans prepared ‘Haftmewa’ on the pattern of fruit salad made of seven different dried fruits, being served in their own syrup. The seven dried fruits, he said, included raisins, Senjed (the dried fruit of oleaster tree), pistachio, hazelnut, prunes (dried apricots), walnut and either almond or another species of plum fruit.

Abid Ghazi Ameri said that the annual event was originally a Zoroastrian festival now being celebrated in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kurdistan, the Indian subcontinent and many other countries.

He said it was hard to celebrate a happy occasion like Nauroz without friends, relatives and immediate family members.

“Although each country celebrates Nauroz a little differently, it always revolves around a celebration of spring and the beginning of a new year. This year, March 20th marks the beginning of the year 1393. “We pray to Almighty Allah to bless us all with happiness and good health,” said Mr Ameri.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2020