Sylvia's Journal

I am sitting here writing on the last day of the Afghan year with three and a half kilo of dried fruits and nuts next to me. The order was delivered in the early evening by the woman who runs the Afghan Pride Association. She hand delivered the traditional new year’s delicacy called Seven Fruits (hafta meyva) in seven 500 gram bags. We learned how to process the delicacy from Razia jan who brought us the finished product at just about the same time.

The traditional dish is made from a combination of fruits and nuts: pistachio, almonds, walnuts, dark and golden raisins, tiny dried apricots and something that looks like a different kind of apricot. The ingredients are skinned, washed and then submerged in boiling water to soak overnight. It’s the removing of the skins from the nuts that’s most tedious Razia told me.

M. explained to me that the traditions around the Afghan New Year date back to pre-Islamic time and came from the Zoroastrians in Persia. The celebrations are not universal in this country. There is a divide more or less along ethnic and north-south lines: there are those who welcome the new year with great abundance and those who see it as a heathen practice. The more conservative mullahs are preaching against the exuberant start of the Afghan New Year. The most exuberant of all the action is in Mazar in the north. People are streaming there from all parts of Afghanistan.

We are all told to stay home because there will be crowds everywhere and the rule is, stay away from crowds. We are not as constrained as the people in the US compound who are in lock down since today and until Tuesday evening. At least we can move around a little bit and were allowed to accept an invitation to celebrate the start of the Afghan New Year with S’s family tomorrow. Unfortunately we were not allowed to join the family later to one of the popular outdoor places like Lake Qargha or Babur Gardens where crowds are expected.