Nowruz celebrations start in Pakistan

Eid-e- Nowruz celebrations are being started in Pakistan on Tuesday with traditional enthusiasm. Nowruz, which coincides with the first day of spring on the solar calendar, is mostly celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The International Day of Nowruz was registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on February 23, 2010. In Northern Pakistan (Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan), Northern Punjab, Nowruz is being celebrated. It is also celebrated with much fervour in Balochistan and in almost all of Pakistan's major urban centres.

"Nowruz, which coincides with the first day of spring on the solar calendar, is mostly celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan"The celebration continues for weeks. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the main features of Nowruz are the giving of coloured eggs to friends and polo matches. In Balochistan, the festival is marked with outdoor feasts, and the traditional jumping over a fire to wash away sins and usher in a fresh start. Large population of Afghan refuges has also started celebrations to observe Nowruz festival. The Parsi community of Pakistan also celebrated Nowruz.

Parsis celebrate Nowruz by visiting relatives, friends and neighbours and also spend time with senior family members. Parsis are the smallest religious minority of Pakistan with 20,000 populations as per the 1998 census. Parsis start preparing for Nowruz a week before the day and buy new cloths and gifts. Beside visiting friends, relatives and senior family members, many Parsis also offer special dishes to their guests, as a part of the celebrations