Newroz… when fire ignites in Kurdish memory, message of freedom is reborn-

By Mahin Sheikhani

As the twenty-first of March approaches each year, the attention of millions of people across the Middle East and Central Asia turns to an ancient celebration that carries meanings of renewal and rebirth. It is Newroz, a festival celebrated by many peoples of the region as the beginning of spring and the start of a new year in their cultural and civilizational memory.

For the Kurdish people, however, the festival carries a deeper and more distinctive meaning. It goes beyond being a seasonal occasion and becomes a historical symbol of freedom, dignity, and identity.

This year, Newroz acquires an additional dimension with the issuance of an official decision in Syria allowing its public celebration for the first time as a Kurdish holiday an important development that carries deep political and cultural implications within a long history of marginalization and attempts to erase Kurdish identity.

Newroz… more than a festival

For the peoples who celebrate it, Newroz marks the beginning of a new cycle of life, as nature renews itself and spring arrives after the harshness of winter. Among the Kurds, however, the festival is also linked to a historical legend deeply rooted in popular consciousness: the story of the mythical hero Kawa al-Haddad, who led an uprising against the tyrant Zahhak and lit fires on mountaintops to announce the triumph of freedom over tyranny.

Since then, the Newroz flame has become a symbol of resistance and dignity for the Kurds. It is not merely a celebratory fire but a symbolic expression of the will of a people who preserved their identity despite centuries of conflict and oppression.

For this reason, Newroz has remained for the Kurds both a national and a cultural holiday, carrying within their collective memory meanings of resilience and continuity.

Newroz this year… A message in a time of tension

This year’s Newroz celebrations come amid complex regional conditions, as the Middle East is experiencing a period of escalating political and military tensions, while many peoples face severe economic and security crises.

In such a context, Newroz becomes more than a popular celebration, it turns into a symbolic message. A message that life can prevail over fear, and that peoples can find in their cultural heritage a source of strength and hope.

For the Kurds, Newroz this year also carries a calm yet clear political message: recognition of Kurdish identity and culture is no longer something that can be ignored or denied; it has become part of the social and political reality of the region.

Allowing the public celebration of this festival in Syria reflects an important shift in the approach toward Kurdish culture and suggests the possibility of building a future that better recognizes cultural diversity and the national identities of the region’s peoples.

Popular participation… the strength of identity

The significance of Newroz celebrations does not stem only from rituals or festive displays but from the wide public participation that accompanies them. When people gather in squares and mountains to light fires, wear traditional clothing, sing, and dance, they are not merely celebrating spring, they are renewing their connection to their history and collective identity.

This year in particular, popular participation carries an additional dimension. It represents the unity and cohesion of Kurdish society and sends a peaceful message affirming that culture and identity cannot be erased or marginalized.

Such participation also gives Newroz its true character as a people’s festival rather than merely an official occasion. The real strength of this celebration lies in the people who preserve it generation after generation.

Newroz… A flame that never goes out

Ultimately, Newroz remains more than a traditional holiday. It is a living memory for the peoples of the region and a profound cultural symbol linking the past to the present.

For the Kurdish people, it is an annual moment in which faith is renewed that history does not stop, and that the flame of freedom lit by Kawa the Blacksmith in the ancient legend is still capable of illuminating the path toward the future.

Thus, with every new Newroz, the same message is repeated:
“Winter may be long… but spring will inevitably come.”

About the Author

Mahin Sheikhani is a Syrian writer and visual artist born in the city of Al-Darbasiyah in 1960. He studied law at the University of Beirut but chose to pursue the path of visual art through self-education, shaping a distinctive artistic identity of his own.

Sheikhani has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Al-Darbasiyah, Qamishli, and several other cities, presenting works that bear his unique artistic signature.

He is a member of the General Union of Kurdish Writers and Journalists in Syria and the Amuda Association for Visual Arts. He writes poetry in Kurdish and short stories in Arabic, bringing together two languages and cultures in his literary production.

Among his notable publications are:

On the Banks of the Khabur (short stories, 2014)

Aphrodite (poetry in Kurdish, 2019)

Yılmaz Güney: The Life of a Proud Artist (2024).

ANHA