Nao Roz Mubarrak 21st March

Happy Noroz. (First day of Spring)  21st March 

We are celebrating Persian New Year  by having a family meal of spicey Persian Lamb.  Yummi

Nowrūz ( نوروز /noʊruz/ ↔ [noʊɾuːz]; with various local pronunciations and spellings, meaning'New Day') is the traditional Iranian new year holiday. It is well known around the Persian speaking world, including Tajikistan  Azerbaijan, Kurdistan. 

It is  celebrated in Afghanistan by familes going on picnics (weather and war permitting) eating Kabuli Pilau and drinking 'Aft Mewa',   a drink made from seven fruits. (sometimes it is prepared so long in advance that it ferments!) 

Afghans love to sing and dance and celebrate (especially if there is food involved)

I am reminded of a story of Mullana Nasruddin when he was a guest at a banquet 

One day Nasruddin went to a banquet. As he was dressed rather shabbily, no one let him in. So he ran home, put on his best robe and fur coat and returned. Immediately, the host came over, greeted him and ushered him to the head of an elaborate banquet table. When the food was served, Nasruddin took some soup with spoon and pushed it to the his fur coat and said, - Eat my fur coat, eat! It's obvious that you're the real guest of honor today, not me!

     More Nasruddin storiesare available on Afghan  story lovers website