#nowruz

A man washes a rug the day before Nowruz or the Persian New Year, near Kohna Deh village in Afghanistan. Known as khāne-takānī, this spring-cleaning ritual keeps evil away, so people can bring fresh, new energy into their new year.

AS IF that Khomeini pro max is gonna have any place in our community lol

Nowruz 2026/ Tehran/ Iran/Photos: France press

Happy Nowruz, Happy spring 🌱🪻

for persians and others who celebrate nowruz, nowruz is usually a time of joy and celebration, of rebirths and new beginnings, as well as a time of community and family and care. i'm not muslim myself, but my understanding is that eid carries with it similar emotions.

unfortanately, the us and israel have terrorized filled both of these holidays with suffering and terror this year. their bombardment of iran has already killed over 2000 people and disrupted the lives of millions more, during what is supposed to be a wonderful and joyous time, while also carrying out airstrikes in lebanon, killing over 1000 people in the past three weeks. and for the past three years, israel has been carrying out its us-backed genocide in gaza, killing hundreds of thousands of palestinians through either direct bombardment or its explicit policies of mass starvation, displacement, and denial & destruction of medical care and institutions.

in light of all of this, and in the spirit of these holidays, it would mean the world to me if you could donate to my friend Amal and her family in Gaza here.

you can find vetting information here

ای کاش آدمی وطن‌اش را هم‌چون بنفشه‌ها می‌شد با خود ببرد هر کجا که خواست

(ay kāsh ādami vatanash ra hamchon banafshehha mishod bā khod bebarad har kojā ke khāst)

if only a person could take their homeland, wherever they wanted, like violets

as winter winds down to an end i always find myself listening to “kooche banafsheha” by farhad. he sings about the last days of esfand, the final month in the iranian calendar, when violets, with their leaves and roots, are picked and placed into boxes. his song laments the people unable take their homeland with them wherever they’d like, like the violets. with nowruz, the new year that starts tomorrow, i think of these boxes, which are sold as decorations during this time, and of the palestinians.

listening to this song, i realized how similar the symbol of violets in this song are to palestinian keys. after the 1948 nakba, many palestinians kept the keys to their homes with the hope that they may one day return. similarly, the violets symbolize the pain of being separated from your homeland, while also serving as a reminder of where someone comes from. and despite the pain they may cause, these violets are a beautiful reminder of spring and the coming new year.

the woman in this illustration is wearing a thobe with gazan tatreez, one of the symbols of palestine. her pose, with her hands behind her back, mirrors handala’s, another symbol of palestinian identity. however, unlike handala, she faces the viewer, almost confronting them. in her hands she holds a violet and a key. surrounding her is an olive tree, a symbol of palestinian’s connection to their land.

nowruz 1405

this year, blooming feels like defiance.

with no internet, no news from our families..and carrying the names of those we lost, we hold on to who we are.

imagine it’s the 22nd still and I’m on time <3