Preparations for Nowruz Amid Conflict
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In the days leading up to the Persian new year festival of Nowruz, Iranians typically engage in enthusiastic preparations.
"We'd be busy getting ready 3 cleaning the house, shopping for new clothes, sweets and snacks," says Mina, a woman in her 50s in Damavand, northeast of Tehran.
However, this year is markedly different, she says, with tears in her eyes.
"This year? Every day feels so long. It's like I've lost track of time," Mina says.
Nowruz, meaning "new day," is a traditional festival marking the spring equinox, symbolizing nature's rebirth and the start of the new year in Iran and other countries. The festival has a history spanning over 3,000 years, making it one of the world's oldest.
This year, Nowruz falls on 20 March, with the following day marking the beginning of the Iranian new year.
However, this year's Nowruz will be the first many Iranians have experienced during wartime.
Since 28 February, Iran has been subjected to bombardments from US and Israeli strikes.
The US-based organisation Human Rights Activists in Iran reports that 3,114 people have died in Iran, including 1,354 civilians, with at least 207 children among the casualties.
In response, Tehran has launched attacks targeting Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf.
Mina's son, Amir, who relocated from Tehran to Damavand with his family, describes this Nowruz as very different.
"People are losing their jobs with the war. My biggest worry is our country's infrastructure," he says.
"At this rate, there might not even be much left of Iran. I don't want this to be our last Nowruz."
For Iranians, Nowruz embodies their history, national identity, and traditions. Various ethnic groups such as Persians, Parsis, Kurds, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, and others celebrate the festival, each with unique customs.
The last occasion Iranians celebrated Nowruz during wartime was in the 1980s, amid the eight-year conflict with Iraq.
The festival includes many customs, such as thoroughly cleaning the house beforehand to remove the previous year's misfortunes and welcome a fresh start.
"When the new year comes, I don't know whether the sound of the holiday announcement on TV will be mixed with the noise of missiles and drones3 but I really hope not," Mina says.
During the two-week Nowruz holidays, families traditionally visit each other's homes.
However, some are reluctant to return to Tehran, which has experienced the heaviest attacks.
"Visits this year are very limited. We've been displaced ourselves, we left Tehran and came somewhere a bit safer," Mina says.
"I wish everything could be wiped from our memories like we just woke up from a bad dream."
Markets, shopping centres, and streets across Iran are usually crowded with shoppers in the final days before Nowruz.
Yet this year, the usual buzz and excitement are noticeably absent.
Parmis, a woman in her 20s living in Tehran, remarks on the change.
"It used to be so much easier to find all the items for Nowruz before. Now, if you go anywhere, you're always worried whether you will be caught up in an air strike or not," she says.
Parmis still went out to get her nails done on 17 March. Salons are typically busy at this time as people prepare to look their best for Nowruz.
"I feel like some are still carrying on despite everything, like me. I was in the salon when a loud explosion went off, and no-one even flinched," she says.
Maryam, another woman, notes that some people are defiantly preparing for the festival and its central element - the Haft Sin table.
"There were people out buying things for Haft Sin. I saw flowers and some street vendors. But no, it's not like it was in previous years," she says.
"At the same time, this is a tradition that happens once a year, and we must celebrate it. I bought some items and we had some at home. I'm planning to lay out Haft Sin tomorrow."
Meanwhile, some individuals within the country support the continuation of the war.
"What's the point of Nowruz? If the Islamic Republic stays in power, we have to live with endless hardships. Nowruz is always there, comes and goes. This time, the Islamic Republic must go," says Ramtin, a man in his 30s in Tehran.
Kian, also from Tehran, shares his mother's sentiment.
"My mum says she'd even be willing for the house to collapse on her head if it meant the clerics would be gone.
I feel the same. Even if everything falls apart, I still think the Islamic Republic needs to go. We don't care about Nowruz, we don't even have Haft Sin on our table."
Nowruz marks the transition from winter's cold to the lively and hopeful arrival of spring. People make wishes for health, happiness, and renewal in the new year for themselves and their loved ones.
Shirin, a woman in her 20s from Tehran, expresses how the war's coincidence with Nowruz affects her.
"Some shops are open, but you can't smell Nowruz in the air."
