Afghanistan is a nation in south western Asia.  Afghanistan is a poor country.  Most Afghans are farmers and use old-fashioned farming tools and methods.  Some people are Zamindras, which means they own lands and workers work for them.

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan.

Most of the people are Muslims in Afghanistan.  The religion of Islam is very meaningful for Afghans.  Most  Afghans are poor farming workers.

There are not a lot of religious festivals.  Eid is one of the main festivals.  It is a muslim festival after the holy month of Ramadan.

Women should be covered.  City women wear chadari, a full length hooded garment that leaves only the eyes uncovered.  Rural women in Afghanistan cover their heads with a shawl.  A shawl is a big cloth that is worn on the head.  Women have a lot of rules.  Most of the women are housewives.  In 1964 Afghan law gave women equal status with men and the social and economic position of women improved.  But still women have to be covered whether they want to or not.

Afghans really care about their religion and culture.  Taliban, a conservative Islamic group, makes women follow an especially strict code of  public behavior.  Afghan men are so strict about how the women behave.

There is a war in Afghanistan now, that war is known as jihad.  Jihad is a war of Islam, a war for religion.  Taliban is also part of it.  The war started in 1990.  "I was really scared, I thought that I was going to die and we will be taken to the war."  At age 17 the army can take you for training whether you want to go or not, everyone has to do this training.

By Helal
source: WorldBook 99
 
  

Required Female Dress Kabul, Afghanistan  A full-length veil and gown, the chadri, is necessary out-of-the-house apparel for many Moslem women. This was dying out in the 1970's, but was restored by the ruling Taliban after 1996.

There are a lot of holidays in other Muslim countries, but in Afghanistan we don’t
have a lot of festivals.  We do have some simple festivals though some holidays are usually celebrated with special prayer and sermons in mosques.  We usually go to mosque and pray in some festivals.  I go to the mosque and pray with my friends.  Only on these festivals my parents never tell me “don’t you come late or don t go to bad places.”  Most of the people, especially kids, are free on these days.  When I was in Afghanistan people didn’t work, not even my dad.  I will explain some of the festivals below.
 

Eid-Al-Fitr
 Eid-al-fitr is one of the biggest and the most important festivals.  This is the festival for men, kids, women, for every one!  After the very special month of in Islamic calendar, Ramadan (the ninth month) we celebrate. Eid.  During Ramadan, which is a holy month, every Muslim except the old, the sick, the young children and pregnant women are required to a void food, drinking, and tobacco from sunrise to the sun set.  It is also one of the five pillars of Islam.

Ashura
 This is one of the popular festivals because on this day the grandson of the prophet Mohammed was killed, people come marching on streets in memory of Hussein we call it Ashura.  It’s a very religious festival the first holiday of the New Year.  Some people in Afghanistan don’t celebrate Ashura; it depends upon their beliefs.
 

Now Ruz
 Now Ruz is a very simple festival.  It’s the first day of spring and Islamic calendar year.  Now Ruz mean “new day.”  People watch some fire works: some people don’t do any thing really special.  It’s just the day that every one is happy.  Some people decorate their homes with light and candles.
 

Jeshn
 After the third Anglo-Afghan war.  Jeshn is the Independence Day that we celebrate from the British, in May 1919.  It was a really big war.  On this day we don’t do anything special or religious.  There is a place where the government shows things like tanks, air plains, and soldiers on parade.  The president gives a lecture for an hour or two.
 

Other Holidays
Beside Independence Day, Afghanistans also observe Workers Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day, President's Day, Teacher's Day and others.  These holidays are not really famous in Afghanistan.  Labor Day, which is also a national holiday in many other countries, is on the first of May.