Northern City Braced for Big Day

New year celebrations in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif are expected to be the largest and most extravagant since the fall of the Taleban.

As residents stock up on holiday foods, the authorities are tightening security ahead of the popular festival, which brings Afghan dignitaries and thousands of pilgrims to the blue-tiled shrine to Imam Ali, a focal point for the Now Ruz or new year celebrations in Afghanistan.

Since the fall of the Taleban, the holiday has been celebrated with gusto in Mazar-e-Sharif.

Officials say that as many as 150,000 visitors could turn up this year, compared with an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 last year.

On the morning of March 20 – Now Roz – officials will hoist a silver standard high above the domed roof of the shrine. Speeches, feasting and prayers for peace will follow the ceremony.

Thousands are expected to attend an afternoon game of buzkashi in the southern part of the city. One of the most popular games in Afghanistan, buzkashi is played on horseback with contestants vying to drag a calf’s carcass to a goal.

For security reasons, the authorities are keeping quiet about who will attend this year's festivities.

Pilgrims from all over Afghanistan as well as other Muslim countries are expected to take part in the celebrations. The silver flag remains aloft for 40 days, and in this period many sick people come to the shrine in hope of a cure. Local legend has it that blind people have regained their sight after praying in the shrine during Now Roz.

Mazar-e-Sharif residents have already stocked up on loads of almonds, walnuts, apricots, raisins and pistachios, said Mohammad Yaqub, a dried fruit salesman. He explained how the fruits and nuts will be soaked overnight to make “seven fruits”, a juice traditionally served at Now Roz,

Yaqub said that economic growth since the fall of the Taleban has spurred the celebrations.

“In the time of the Taleban, there was no work and no salaries, and people couldn’t afford to meet their basic needs, so how could they buy dry fruit?” said Yaqub. “We are now free to observe our customs and religious traditions.”

Engineer Jan Mohammad, the first deputy head of Mazar-e-Sharif municipality and a member of a special commission preparing the city for Now Roz, said city officials are busy setting up guest houses to accommodate visitors and gathering actors and singers to perform during the holiday.

Officials plan to decorate the shrine and Firdawsi Park in east Mazar with coloured lights. The city is also laying out flower beds and installing public toilets, and has refurbished Mazar-e-Sharif’s eastern gate, Darwaza-i-Jamhori, at a cost of 450,000 afghanis. It has ordered residents near the shrine to repaint their homes.

“We can see a big difference in comparison with past years,” said Jan Mohammad. “Since we are moving towards the rule of law, we hope more guests will come this year. This is why we’re trying to have better preparations than we used to have in the past.”

Balkh province police commissioner Mohammad Akram Khakrizwal said that about 1,500 security personnel, including police and local militia fighters from the seventh and eighth military corps loyal to the two main military commanders in the north, will be on duty during Now Roz.

“In past years there were lots of gunmen coming inside the city, but this time I ordered the checkpoints at the entrances not to let anyone with a gun inside the city,” said Khakrizwal. “[I told them] to let them enter the city and enjoy the ceremony only if they hand over their weapons.”

Nooria Alimi is an independent journalist working with IWPR in Mazar-e-Sharif.