I stepped into the new century by walking through a beautiful peaceful #Almond #Orchard in a village in Sangi Moom, just outside of #Nili #Daikundi
It felt like a lonely walk, even though my lovely driver, Naser, tagged along and cheered as we watched the count down on my phone. I explained to him how #Iranians celebrate ‘Sal Tawil’, the turning moment. How my family and I used to gather around our #HaftSeen sufra, watch a special program on TV with a count down to start the year with the sound of canon balls followed by an iconic melody. I even tried to mimic the sounds as he laughed at my comic reconstruction of memories.
I also explained how the elders, often parents or grandparents, would pull out a Hafiz Diwan that has brand new bills in between its pages and we would then draw our ‘eidi’, a token of their blessing for us.
As i was recounting the steps, I pulled out my black #Moleskin that I use to take notes while on assignment, as if it is a Hafiz Diwan. Earlier in the car, i had scrutinize my wallet for the cleanest bill available and had placed it in between the pages of my notebook. I said: ” #NowRouz mobarak!” He looked at me confused, so I continued: “I’m the elder here, this is for you.”
Truth to be told, Naser doesn’t know how old he is. Most Afghans don’t as millions never documented the birth of their children throughout decades of war.
In such societies, where time is an ambiguous concept, how could I expect anyone to care for the ‘turning moment’ or the start of a new century as much as I do.
We clapped, we laughed and we walked back to the car. As we continued the drive, heavy black clouds move above our head and a rain storm struck us. The dirt road became muddy and slippery.
As we wended our way through the mountains, I thought about the concept of #time and #distance . How one year and 4 days ago, #corona #pandemic sent us into a strange timeless time and how everything froze, so did time.
May the start of this century with almond blossoms and blooming trees in sight, be the start of a new era; a rebirth for my country of birth, #Iran , my adopted home, #Afghanistan and the rest of the world. #NoRooz Mobarak! #1400
It felt like a lonely walk, even though my lovely driver, Naser, tagged along and cheered as we watched the count down on my phone. I explained to him how #Iranians celebrate ‘Sal Tawil’, the turning moment. How my family and I used to gather around our #HaftSeen sufra, watch a special program on TV with a count down to start the year with the sound of canon balls followed by an iconic melody. I even tried to mimic the sounds as he laughed at my comic reconstruction of memories.
I also explained how the elders, often parents or grandparents, would pull out a Hafiz Diwan that has brand new bills in between its pages and we would then draw our ‘eidi’, a token of their blessing for us.
As i was recounting the steps, I pulled out my black #Moleskin that I use to take notes while on assignment, as if it is a Hafiz Diwan. Earlier in the car, i had scrutinize my wallet for the cleanest bill available and had placed it in between the pages of my notebook. I said: ” #NowRouz mobarak!” He looked at me confused, so I continued: “I’m the elder here, this is for you.”
Truth to be told, Naser doesn’t know how old he is. Most Afghans don’t as millions never documented the birth of their children throughout decades of war.
In such societies, where time is an ambiguous concept, how could I expect anyone to care for the ‘turning moment’ or the start of a new century as much as I do.
We clapped, we laughed and we walked back to the car. As we continued the drive, heavy black clouds move above our head and a rain storm struck us. The dirt road became muddy and slippery.
As we wended our way through the mountains, I thought about the concept of #time and #distance . How one year and 4 days ago, #corona #pandemic sent us into a strange timeless time and how everything froze, so did time.
May the start of this century with almond blossoms and blooming trees in sight, be the start of a new era; a rebirth for my country of birth, #Iran , my adopted home, #Afghanistan and the rest of the world. #NoRooz Mobarak! #1400
— at Nilli، Daikundi.
