Norouz Festival

In Northern Pakistan (Chitral, Gilgit, Hunza and Baltistan) Norouz is celebrated as a socio-religious festival. It is also celebrated with much fervour in Balochistan and in the urban centres of Karachi and Lahore. The day coincides with the coming of spring season on March 21, but the celeberation continues for weeks. In Baltistan, the main feature of Norouz is gifting of coloured eggs to friends and playing polo, volley ball, hockey and football, westling, tug of war alongside folk dances, songs and music and exhibition of handicraft. While in Balochistan, the festival is marked with outdoor feasts, and the traditional jumping over a fire to wash away sins and usher in a fresh start. The origins of this festival are pre-Islamic and date back to when Pakistan was part of the Persian Empire for several thousand years.