Nowruz Calls: The Real Reason Kurds Light Fires on New Year's

Tonight, the Mountains Will Be Lit

When the sun sets on March 20, 2026, tens of thousands of flames will simultaneously light up the sky from the mountain ranges of eastern Turkey to northwestern Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, and northern Syria's Rojava. Nowruz — meaning "new day" in Kurdish. To onlookers, it may be simply a beautiful sight, but for those who light these fires, it is the memory of moments when lives were on the line.

Origin of the Flame: From Myth to Resistance

Nowruz is originally an ancient Persian spring equinox festival connected to Zoroastrianism. Across Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, the new year is celebrated around March 21. But for the Kurds, Nowruz goes one step further.

According to legend, Nowruz began as a celebration of the day when the blacksmith Kawa succeeded in his revolt against the tyrannical king Zahhak. A story of common people triumphing over an oppressor — the Kurds have ample reason to resonate deeply with this myth. They are the world's largest stateless ethnic group, approximately 35 million people dispersed across four countries (Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria) without an independent nation.

Celebration or Political Declaration?

In 1990s Turkey, even saying the word "Nowruz" in Kurdish was illegal. Authorities violently dispersed Kurdish New Year gatherings, and bloody incidents occurred in which dozens were killed. In Iran as well, large-scale Nowruz gatherings in Kurdish regions are frequently subject to surveillance and suppression by security forces.

As of 2026, the situation is complex. Turkey allows Nowruz as an official cultural event on a limited basis, but immediately cracks down if symbols linked to the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) appear. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq has designated Nowruz as an official public holiday, making it the freest place to enjoy the celebration. Meanwhile, northern Syria's Rojava region cautiously lights its fires amid continuing instability.

The Geopolitical Fractures Nowruz Reveals

Every year around this time, the Kurdish question once again draws international attention. In 2026, this is particularly intertwined with US-Turkey diplomatic tensions and Kurdish autonomy negotiations in the Syrian reconstruction process. Kurdish political leaders use Nowruz speeches to demand autonomy and federalism, while each respective government watches closely. It is a season when a single flame speaks louder than a diplomatic cable.

Films and Dramas About the Middle East

The film that most vividly captures Kurdish life is Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi's "Turtles Can Fly" (2004). It tells the story of refugee children in Iraqi Kurdistan who collect landmines on the day before Nowruz to survive — sharply revealing a reality where the splendor of celebration and the scars of war coexist under the same sky. Of course, there is cinematic fiction — the protagonist boy's prophetic ability is a symbolic device.

"Girls of the Sun" (2018) tells the story of Kurdish female warriors (Peshmerga) who fought against ISIS, depicting a will to resist that, like the Nowruz flames, refuses to be extinguished. The documentary "Peshmerga" (2016), directed by Bernard-Henri Levy who accompanied fighters to the front lines, captures the raw voices of actual Kurdish combatants.

The Flame That Will Not Die

The flames burning on mountaintops tonight are not a mere New Year's event. They are a signal flare from people whose country does not exist on any map, crying out "We are here." Nowruz returns every year, proving that no border line can completely erase them. As the new year dawns, will you remember the meaning of these flames?