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Nowroz was banned under the Taliban regime of the 1990s, who considered it a pagan festival, but many families still celebrated in private. These days, thousands of Afghans head to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, in the Balkh province, to attend the Guli Surkh festival; Nowroz’s main event, it commemorates the first 40 days of the year, when the green plains are awash with red tulips.
