Nowruz

One woman living in Kabul describes how, despite food shortages and repression, her family is celebrating the Persian new year with what they have.

"We have depleted our savings and reached a point where we try to cook things that need the least amount of groceries and will turn out bigger in amount. "A year ago, I could not have imagined that I would live in a country that would be under the rule of people like the Taliban. It seems surreal, crazy. "Right now, we only have small amounts of almonds and walnuts, and I don't think we can make haft mewa with two things." But the real star of the Nowruz table would be haft mewa — a sweet and savory compote. It's going to be simple; it's going to be small; but it's going to be something. Even though she's a member of what she describes as "the privileged population," Shararah and her family have been affected by food insecurity. "All the people would be going around, enjoying the decorations and lightings, having an ice cream, just being together," she says. She makes a plain rice but makes it colorful with sprinkles of saffron and sugar. The ingredients are not set but typically include a combination of pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cashews, cherries, raisins, currants, apricots, apples or senjed (a small sweet and tangy berry shaped like an olive). They are washed, peeled, mixed together and soaked in water, which some scent with rose or cardamom. But in early March, the Taliban's Ministry of Vice and Virtue confirmed that there will be no official Nowruz celebration this year. Even before the Taliban, Kabul did not have a nightlife and most shops closed by early evening — except on the night before Nowruz. Despite the late hour, Shararah is animated, her face growing increasingly brighter as she describes the once-bustling streets of Mandawi market in Kabul's old district, colorful stalls that she and her sister would navigate one by one.