Category
newroz
On the evening of 20 March, the eve of Newroz, Kurds gather on mountain peaks or in city squares to light enormous bonfires of dry wood. These fires are not for warmth but a sacred symbol of Kawa the Blacksmith's victory over the tyrant Zahhak in the ancient Kurdish legend: Kawa is said to have lit fires on the peaks to announce that tyranny had fallen. The young leap over the fire in a strong stride, chanting 'O fire, take with you the bad luck of my old year!' — believing that the flames burn away misfortune and disease so the new year arrives clean. In Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan, the fires are ringed by govend circles dancing until dawn; in Turkey the practice was banned for decades before being partially restored under public pressure.