New year as a time for unity, hospitality, and hope in the MENA region |
As 2025 gave way to 2026, millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the wider Arab world marked the transition into a new calendar year in diverse and meaningful ways. While the Gregorian New Year does not carry universal religious significance across the region, its arrival has increasingly become a shared cultural moment – one that offers space for reflection, connection, and collective hope. Against a backdrop of conflict, political uncertainty, economic hardship, and humanitarian challenges, the welcoming of 2026 carried a deeper resonance than mere celebration. It became, for many, a quiet yet powerful affirmation of life, resilience, and social cohesion.
The transition into the new year unfolded amid a complex historical and political context. Throughout 2025, large parts of the region continued to grapple with armed conflicts, displacement, inflation, and fragile governance. From protracted wars and unresolved crises to the everyday pressures of rising costs of living and unemployment, many communities entered 2026 bearing heavy burdens. Yet, despite these realities, the arrival of the new year once again brought people together, offering a symbolic pause – a collective breath – and the opportunity to imagine a more peaceful future.
Importantly, New Year celebrations in the MENA region should not be viewed as a uniform or monolithic phenomenon. On the contrary, they reflect the region’s extraordinary cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. The Middle East and North Africa are home to civilizations that span millennia, shaped by layers of faith, language, and tradition. As such, the way the new year is observed varies widely between countries, cities, and communities, ranging from large-scale public festivities to intimate family gatherings and moments of personal reflection.
While the Gregorian calendar’s New Year is not a religious observance in Islam, it has gradually evolved into a social and cultural occasion across much of the Arab and Islamic worlds, particularly in urban centers. For many, it represents a symbolic threshold – a chance to leave behind a difficult year and renew hopes for peace,........