<p>Afghanistan's Taliban administration said there would be no public holiday for the Persian New Year this week, but said they would not stop people from celebrating the festival.</p>.<p>Persian New Year, known as Nowruz and celebrated throughout Iran and Central Asia, is a popular festival in Afghanistan and is usually marked by a public holiday when families gather to prepare festive dishes and welcome the beginning of spring.</p>.<p>Mohammad Yunus Siddiqui, the spokesman for the labour ministry, told Reuters that there would be no official public holiday on Monday when Nowruz was set to take place.</p>.<p>An information ministry spokesman said the holiday was not in accordance with Islamic law, but that private celebrations by civilians would be allowed.</p>.<p>"We are not officially celebrating Nowruz," said Abdul Ahad Amad, head of publications at the information ministry. "If people want to do something we are not preventing them."</p>.<p>The Islamist Taliban took over the country in August. The international community and many Afghans have called on the group to form a representative government and recognise the pluralism of the country, which is made up of multiple ethnic groups and cultural influences.</p>.<p>Though workers will have to return to the office and public university students said exams had been scheduled for Monday, there were signs that Afghans would still celebrate.</p>.<p>Colourful flags were strung up across streets in parts of Kabul and the leaders of mosques in the capital and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif said they were preparing for a traditional banner-raising ceremony known as Jahenda Bala, but were waiting for guidance from authorities on whether they would be able to go ahead.</p>.<p>"The coming of Spring is engrained and rooted in our history, our literature, our cultural memory, our traditions, and our cultural heritage," said Munazza Ebtikar, a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford focusing on the history and anthropology of Afghanistan.</p>.<p>"Celebrating Nowruz has become a political act, it's about preservation and resistance," she said.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>Afghanistan's Taliban administration said there would be no public holiday for the Persian New Year this week, but said they would not stop people from celebrating the festival.</p>.<p>Persian New Year, known as Nowruz and celebrated throughout Iran and Central Asia, is a popular festival in Afghanistan and is usually marked by a public holiday when families gather to prepare festive dishes and welcome the beginning of spring.</p>.<p>Mohammad Yunus Siddiqui, the spokesman for the labour ministry, told Reuters that there would be no official public holiday on Monday when Nowruz was set to take place.</p>.<p>An information ministry spokesman said the holiday was not in accordance with Islamic law, but that private celebrations by civilians would be allowed.</p>.<p>"We are not officially celebrating Nowruz," said Abdul Ahad Amad, head of publications at the information ministry. "If people want to do something we are not preventing them."</p>.<p>The Islamist Taliban took over the country in August. The international community and many Afghans have called on the group to form a representative government and recognise the pluralism of the country, which is made up of multiple ethnic groups and cultural influences.</p>.<p>Though workers will have to return to the office and public university students said exams had been scheduled for Monday, there were signs that Afghans would still celebrate.</p>.<p>Colourful flags were strung up across streets in parts of Kabul and the leaders of mosques in the capital and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif said they were preparing for a traditional banner-raising ceremony known as Jahenda Bala, but were waiting for guidance from authorities on whether they would be able to go ahead.</p>.<p>"The coming of Spring is engrained and rooted in our history, our literature, our cultural memory, our traditions, and our cultural heritage," said Munazza Ebtikar, a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford focusing on the history and anthropology of Afghanistan.</p>.<p>"Celebrating Nowruz has become a political act, it's about preservation and resistance," she said.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>