In Afghan society, which is grappling with a decline in cultural norms, celebrations like Nowruz present an opportunity for revival and reconstruction. However, it’s regrettable that power-seekers and religious zealots, under the misconception that they can eradicate a cultural symbol through their edicts, have attempted to seize this opportunity from the people through coercion, oppression, and tyranny, thereby extending their dominance over the cultural rituals of society and using them as a means to control and exert power over the people. Yet, it’s evident that rituals, symbols, and cultural traditions are not easily eradicated. A clear example of this is Nowruz. Despite the fatwas issued by extremist religious groups over the years, Nowruz still thrives among the people, who enthusiastically embrace it as a celebration of nature’s renewal.
The passage of time and differing political, economic, and cultural conditions play a significant role in the elimination, weakening, or expansion of influential rituals. While social symbols and rituals cannot simply be erased, over millennia in our land, many rituals have disappeared, replaced by new ones. Among these, Nowruz stands as an ancient tradition that has survived the ravages of time and oblivion, preserving within itself the most profound human symbols. This ritual has so deeply permeated our cultural subconscious that it has never faded or been eradicated from any period of history. It has its roots in our social and cultural traditions, which have had a positive and constructive function over time. From this perspective, Nowruz can be viewed sociologically.
Through a functionalist perspective on social phenomena, which focuses on how a phenomenon operates in society, we find that symbols, rituals, and social traditions have a cohesive and uniting quality, effectively fostering solidarity and strengthening social bonds. French sociologist Émile Durkheim believes that the gathering of people at regular intervals and maintaining lines of communication and collaboration through ceremonial rituals is one of the most apparent social functions. Through the integration of society, ceremonial rituals lend credibility to existing conditions, contribute to social stability, transmit values and customs to future generations, and foster unity within society. In his view, the primary effect of rituals is to bring individuals closer together, creating intimacy. Durkheim argues for the necessity of rituals in affirming and preserving group identities.
Since part of collective awareness is constructed through individuals’ participation in rituals and communal ceremonies, people re-establish ties to collective life through these rituals. Because rituals have a uniting function, individuals, by participating in them, reaffirm their position and duty to others and society. The reason rituals endure and are repeated at specific intervals goes beyond their superficial aspects; it lies in the sense of cohesion that arises from these conditions. In other words, the sustainability of rituals is not solely ensured by the actions and reactions that perpetuate a specific ceremony and its customs, but by the sense of cohesion that emerges from this interaction.
Our society finds itself in a situation where the need for unity, cohesion, and solidarity is paramount. Nowruz, as a symbol of universality and inclusivity, can bring cohesion and unity to society. Nowruz, as a social symbol, serves functions such as strengthening the collective spirit, enhancing social-cultural cohesion, improving social relationships, and creating convergence and a common human space for everyone. Since Nowruz does not belong to any specific religion, sect, or ethnic and linguistic group and is a celebration for all, regardless of the mentioned identity affiliations, in a diverse, pluralistic, and divergent country like Afghanistan, it has the potential to greatly contribute to convergence and solidarity in society.
Throughout Afghanistan, as we witness people with diverse subcultures, languages, religions, and ethnicities gathering during Nowruz, they set aside ethnic, religious, and linguistic boundaries and come together to celebrate the renewal of nature. During Nowruz, people visit each other, sit together with different individuals, maintain differences in communal gatherings, and cherish diversity. These gatherings demonstrate how Nowruz, as a cultural ritual, can play an effective role in creating and strengthening convergence. In a society where hatred prevails, and political rulers sow seeds of division among the people, celebrating symbols, rituals, and traditions that foster cohesion and unity becomes imperative. Part of the reasons for the existence of hatred among people and the formation of stereotypical attitudes towards each other is this lack of familiarity, not talking, and not sharing sorrows and joys. Nowruz brings people together and reinforces their cohesion so they can celebrate and rejoice together in a shared space and with a shared approach. The outward appearance of Nowruz is the joy and its inherent function is strengthening the sense of cohesion and solidarity.
Cohesion, solidarity, and unity are components that our society desperately needs. Nowruz provides an opportunity for exercising cohesion, through which a sense of solidarity also emerges. We need to preserve and celebrate symbols and rituals of this nature. Now that the Taliban have resorted to various means to distort cultural practices and hinder the celebration of Nowruz, Nowruz has turned into a space of resistance; resistance against tyranny, obscurantism, extremism, isolationism, human hostility, and cultural destruction. Today, Nowruz is a possibility and space for forces standing against misanthropic groups. They act with the utmost restraint against violence, celebrate the renewal of nature in small gatherings, and alongside each other, strengthen and reproduce their cultural resilience.
