Newroz
Newroz is the Kurdish New year, the most important festival in Kurdish culture, which originated in Persia. Marking the arrival of spring, it occurs on date of the spring equinox, usually March 21. The celebrations may run from March 18 to 24.
Celebrations of Newroz vary by region, but traditionally on the evening of March 21, Kurdish communities come together to welcome spring. They wear traditional clothing. They light a bonfire, dance around it, and jump over it. They share special foods and listen to poetry recitations, and the children play Kurdish games. Families visit each other and tend to the graves of their relatives.
Fire is an ancient symbol of light, goodness, and purification. Lighting the annual fire symbolizes defiance of evil and tyranny.
According to legend, in ancient times the evil Assyrian king Dehaq conquered Iran and ruled there for one thousand years. Under his evil reign, spring no longer came to Kurdistan. Dehaq had two serpents growing from his shoulders, which was painful. To alleviate the pain, Dehaq required two young men to be sacrificed every day so that their brains could be fed to his serpents.
A certain man who was in charge of the daily sacrifice chose to resist: instead of killing two, he would kill only one youth and mix his brains with those of a sheep in order to save the second youth.
Discontent mounted against Dehaq’s rule. The blacksmith Kawa (Kawayê Hesinkar) had lost six sons to Dehaq. Kawa gathered together the young men who had been saved from sacrifice and trained them to become an army. On March 20 of a certain year, they marched to Dehaq’s castle, where Kawa killed the king with his hammer. Kawa then set fire to the hillside to celebrate the victory and alert his supporters. Spring returned to Kurdistan the next day.
Kurds use this legend to remind themselves that of their historical strength, and the lighting of the fire at Newroz is a symbol of freedom. For most Kurds, Newroz has an important place in Kurdish identity. In the 1930s, as persecution of the Kurds in Turkey intensified, it became a symbol of the Kurdish national struggle. By the end of the 1980s, Newroz was associated “with the attempts to express and resurrect” the Kurdish identity.
On Newroz, enjoy celebrations of this great festival in all parts of Kurdistan: in Amed (Diyarbakir), in Bakur; in Acre, in Başur; in Palangan, in Rojhelat; and in Qamişlo, in Rojava.
Listen to Hesen Zîrek sing “Piremêrd,” one of the most famous Newroz songs.
A new song about Newroz, “Rakin Meşala Newrozê,” comes from Navenda Çanda Mezopotamyayê.
Listen to the prolific Hasan Zirak sing his Newroz song here.
