For Afghans, it’s happy new year and birthday

In a country without birth certificates, many choose the first day of the year to help keep track of their age

Today is Samad Alawi’s birthday. It is also the birthday of his wife, his two sons, 32 of his friends and thousands of other Afghans – a date chosen by a generation who do not know their birth dates

In the absence of birth certificates or official records, many Afghans have long used the seasons or historical events to help keep track of their age.

But the explosion of social media networks such as Facebook, which require users to register their birthday, and the growing demand for passports and visas have forced Afghans to pick a day – any day.

January 1 has become a common choice, but it is more about practicality than parties.

“It seemed all Afghans had birthdays on January 1,” said Mr Alawi, 43.

Even those who know their date of birth often choose January 1 because they do not want the inconvenience of converting their birthday from the Islamic calendar used in Afghanistan.

The first day of the year in Hijri usually corresponds to March 21.

“When I created my Facebook account in 2014, it was just easier to choose January 1 as my birthday from the drop-down list,” Mr Alawi said.

Even the official identity card, or Tazkira, held by most Afghans offers little, with a person’s age “determined based on physical appearance”.

In recent years some Afghan hospitals have started to issue newborns with birth certificates.

The government also plans to issue computerised national ID cards that would include a date of birth, if known. But the process has been stalled by political and technical problems.

In the absence of official records, some parents record their children’s birthdays on slips of paper, which are often kept in a copy of the Quran.

“I hope one day all Afghans have their proper dates of birth so that social media doesn’t have to tell them how old they are,” Mr Alawi said.