Calendar & Events
From Nowruz to the pomegranate harvest — the rhythms of the Afghan year.
The Afghan calendar
Life here follows the solar Hijri calendar and the rhythm of the seasons — from the new year at the spring equinox to the high-altitude migrations of autumn.
Nowruz — Persian New Year
Marked nationwide at the spring equinox; in Mazar-i-Sharif, a 40-day red tulip festival follows at the Shrine of Hazrat Ali.
Kuchi spring migration
Nomadic herding families move flocks toward highland pastures — a seasonal pattern visible across the central provinces.
Apricot & cherry harvest
Kabul’s summer fruit comes in — apricots, cherries, mulberries and the first melons, piled onto carts and eaten fresh from the stall.
Independence Day
Marks the 1919 Anglo-Afghan Treaty and full independence from British influence over foreign affairs — official speeches, military displays, and the national dance, atan.
Melon harvest
Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif produce some of the region's most prized melons, piled high at roadside stalls through late summer.
Grape harvest
Vineyards around Herat and Kandahar bring in their grape crop, much of it dried into raisins for the winter ahead.
Pomegranate season
Kandahar's orchards produce some of the region's most prized pomegranates, sold by the cart-load through autumn.
Buzkashi tournament season
The national sport’s competitive season runs through the cold months — riders on horseback compete to carry a goat carcass across a goal line, in front of large and vocal crowds. Matches run into December.
Eid al-Fitr
Marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month — a date that shifts roughly 11 days earlier each Gregorian year, celebrated nationwide with family visits, new clothes, and shared meals.
Eid al-Adha
The "Festival of Sacrifice," roughly 70 days after Eid al-Fitr on the same shifting lunar calendar — marked by communal prayers and the sharing of meat with family, neighbors, and those in need.
Ashura
Observed on the 10th of Muharram in the Islamic lunar calendar, so its Gregorian date shifts roughly 11 days earlier each year — marked with mourning processions in Shia communities nationwide.