Newroz Celebrations, Erbil
Newroz (meaning ‘new day’ in Kurdish) is a celebration to welcome the first day of spring, which occurs each year around 21st March.
Newroz celebrates the end of a cold, dark winter in the mountains of Kurdistan, as the spring brings warmth and new life, re-awakening the agricultural cycle of cultivating, planting and harvesting. Bonfires are lit on the peaks of mountains and folk music and dances are performed in bright, colourful costumes throughout the Kurdish region.