The man tree: Revellers rest in branches during colourful celebration of Afghan New Year

The
Afghan men look on from the tree branches while other revellers gather
near the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine for the New Year's festival's celebrations
in Mazar-i-Sharif.
The
festival is one of the biggest events in the war-scarred nation, and
marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the
Persian calendar.
Norwuz is calculated according to a solar calendar, with this coming year marking 1393.
The
festival is celebrated by people from diverse ethnic communities and
religious backgrounds, and has been for thousands of years.
It is a largely secular holiday that is enjoyed by people of several
different faiths, and is also celebrated by other cultural regions
including Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Kyrgyzstan and other scattered populations in Central Asia.


Nowruz is one of the biggest festivals of the
war-scarred nation and marks the first day of spring and the beginning
of the year in the Persian calendar

Revellers gather around the holy mace in front the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine for Nowruz festivities

A ceremony taking place at the holy mace in front of the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine during the new year festival

Honour guards stand in formation near the holy mace in front of the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine

Afghan men spill over a fence to touch and kiss the holy mace in front the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine

Afghan women come together in a large crowd in front the shrine for the festivities

Nowruz is celebrated by people from diverse ethnic communities and religious backgrounds for thousands of years

Afghan boys watch adult men struggle to reach the holy mace to kiss it

An Afghan man leads two girls dressed alike by the hand as they leave the Sahki Shrine during festivities

Afghan boys take flight on swings at a fair set
up in a field to celebrate the festival, which is largely secular and
celebrated by all religions in the area

An Afghan boy gets a mouthful from his cotton
candy at a fair set up in a field near the Sahki Shrine. The festival
originated in Persia in one of the capitals of the Achaemenid empire

An Afghan man manges to place his forehead on the holy mace after struggling with other believers in front of the Sakhi shrine

Afghan men struggle to reach the holy mace and
kiss it. The festival is also celebrated by the cultural regions that
came under Iranian influence

Kurdish women, recat, during the Nowruz celebrations in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, Turkey
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