Nowruz Under Fire, Eid al-Fitr in the Shadow of War: Iranians and Arabs Mark Holidays Amid Conflict
Iranians celebrated Nowruz, the Persian New Year, as Israeli strikes hit Tehran on Friday. Across the Arab world, Muslims observed Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan, with celebrations muted by displacement and conflict.
Sercan Roni
Friday, March 20, 2026 marked two of the most significant dates in the Middle Eastern calendar — Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebrated by Iranians and Kurdish communities across the region, and Eid al-Fitr, the feast marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan for the world's Muslim majority.
Both were observed this year under the shadow of a 21-day war that has killed more than 1,500 people, displaced hundreds of thousands, and disrupted life across the region. In Tehran's Tajrish Bazaar, photographs of children killed in US-Israeli strikes were displayed in public spaces as families gathered for what would normally be joyful Nowruz celebrations. Israel launched fresh strikes on the Iranian capital throughout Friday, with explosions reported in multiple districts.
"It is Nowruz, but there is nothing to celebrate," said one Tehran resident in footage broadcast by Iranian state television. The government issued statements urging citizens to mark the new year "with resistance and dignity."
In Beirut, Eid al-Fitr prayers were held in the shadow of an ongoing Israeli bombardment that has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon since March 2. Along the city's waterfront, Syrian refugee Alaa, originally from the occupied Golan Heights, spent the holiday homeless after Israeli strikes destroyed his apartment in Dahiyeh. "I am just looking for somewhere to be safe," he told Al Jazeera.
In Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters greeted worshippers gathering for Eid prayers, even as the Strip remains under blockade. Across the Arab world, traditional celebrations — family gatherings, fireworks, new clothes for children — were muted. In many cities, mosques held special prayers for those killed in the conflict.
In Iraqi Kurdistan and parts of Turkey and Syria, Nowruz was celebrated with bonfires and folk dancing, though security concerns kept larger gatherings subdued. Kurdish political leaders issued statements calling for an end to the war, noting that Kurdish communities on both sides of the Iran-Iraq border were caught in the conflict's crossfire.
