Particularly celebrated among the Kurdish population, this year’s first Nevruz celebrations were organized by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in various cities on Wednesday and Thursday.In many places in Turkey, people gather in parks to celebrate the advent of Nevruz. The day of the vernal equinox and the last Wednesday before the equinox are especially significant in Kurdish New Year’s celebrations in Turkey. In eastern Turkey, Nevruz is traditionally celebrated by lighting a bonfire in a neighborhood square. While jumping over the bonfire, people make a wish and expect the wish to come true. BDP officials went to the eastern province of Hakkari this week to celebrate Nevruz there, and famous Kurdish folk singer Ciwan Haco held a Nevruz concert in Diyarbakır.
Although Nevruz celebrations have long been associated with friction, political demonstrations and even violent rallies in support of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey, no violent rallies have been witness so far this year.
Nevruz is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, March 21 or 20 depending on the year, as the beginning of the new year. Nevruz, also known as the festival of fire, has been widely celebrated for more than 3,000 years in Iran, the Balkans, the Black Sea basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia and southeastern Turkey. The United Nations General Assembly officially recognized March 21 as the International Day of Nevruz last month.
