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The politics of Nowruz

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In what has become a Nowruz tradition, Azerbaijan’s president participated in an egg-breaking competition with two popular characters associated with the spring holiday. And this year, as in previous years, Ilham Aliyev got the best of Kosa (Beardless) and Kechal (Bald-Headed).

In Azerbaijan, a former part of the Persian Empire where Nowruz has deep roots, the president has for years used the Persian New Year as an occasion to highlight his public image by visiting Baku’s old town and lighting a traditional Nowruz fire.

It could be written off as fun and games, but in many areas of the world where Nowruz is celebrated, the politics of the holiday can be serious business.

There are cases where regimes, whether religious or not, have regarded Nowruz as a threat to their dominance and banned the holiday altogether. There are others where minority groups have identified themselves with the holiday and turned it into an unofficial national symbol. And there are those instances where even the date of the holiday has been subjected to the will of local strongmen.


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