Nowruz celebrations in the Middle East and Asia - in pictures

The festival marks the start of spring

Girls in national costume take part in the Nowruz celebrations in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is usually celebrated on March 21. EPA

Syrian Kurds march with torches during the celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, on March 20, 2024. The Persian New Year is an ancient Zoroastrian tradition celebrated by Iranians and Kurds which coincides with the vernal (spring) equinox and is calculated by the solar calendar. (Photo by Delil souleiman / AFP)

Another Nowruz torchlit procession in Akre, northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. Millions of people across the Middle East, Asia and eastern Europe celebrate the Persian New Year. AFP

Iraqi Kurds display their flag in Akre. Nowruz is an ancient Zoroastrian tradition celebrated by Iranians and Kurds, which coincides with the vernal equinox and is calculated using the solar calendar. AFP

A woman visits the shrine of St Sakhi Saib in Kabul to mark Nowruz. It is the most revered celebration in the greater Persian world, which includes Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, parts of western China and northern Iraq. EPA

Women sing at a Nowruz feast in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. EPA

Performers in traditional ethnic costume lead the celebrations in Bishkek. AFP

Colourful eggs, a symbol of Nowruz, for sale at a street market in Tehran on the eve of the Persian New Year. EPA

Goldfish are displayed at a flower market ahead of Nowruz in Tehran. Reuters

Iraqi Kurds celebrate Nowruz in Akre. AFP

Afghans gather around the shrine of St Sakhi Saib for Nowruz. EPA

A community cooks a giant vat of a traditional dish in Bishkek. Nowruz means 'the new year' in Farsi. AFP

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