Remember the past and hope for the future
Celebrated every year between the 21st and 23rd of March, Newroz is the most significant annual festival in the KRI. Newroz – which means “New Day” in Kurdish – marks the first day of spring and the start of a new year.
Newroz symbolizes the Kurd’s revolution and struggle against injustice. According to legend, one year, spring didn’t come because of the evil King Zuhak’s tyrannical reign. The blacksmith Kawa led an uprising against the unjust king, defeating him on the eve of Newroz. Kawa lit a fire on a mountaintop to celebrate his victory. The next day spring returned to Kurdistan.
During the celebration of Newroz, Kurds wear traditional clothes, perform folk dances, and light bonfires and torches.