Nowruz, the Persian new year looms as war steals Iranians’ joy

PARIS: Beneath a hail of bombs, few Iranians have the heart to prepare for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, as war casts a shadow across the country. “People just aren’t thinking about it,” said a resident of the northern city of Bukan, reached by phone from Paris. “It’s the first time in my life that I’ve forgotten how to grow sabzeh,” a mother said, referring to the sprouted lentils grown for Nowruz. Yet the holiday is a central moment in Persian culture, typically marked by weeks of anticipation.

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