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We have already told you about Nowruz, but today we focus on the Kurdish Nowruz and the latter’s relationship with Turkey.
The Kurdish Nowruz and Turkey, a difficult relationship
According to legend, Zahak, a diabolical Assyrian king, conquered the whole of Persia, forcing the entire population to submit to his own dominion. It was an extremely sad time for Kurdistan, not being able to benefit from the spring due to the evil brought by the new monarch. The latter, then, had 2 snakes growing from his shoulders, which had to feed every day with 2 young men, further impoverishing the population.
Tired of the wickedness of the foreign ruler, the noble Fereydun organized a revolt, assigning the blacksmith Kaveh to train some survivors from the horrid meal. The latter had lost 6 children to Zahak, joyfully putting himself in command of the army and killing the king himself with a hammer. The Kurds were born from the authors of this enterprise, thus linking the entire legend to the origins of this people. Kaveh’s victory will also lead to the return of spring, thus marking the beginning of the new year.
From tradition to symbol
Historically, Nowruz is considered the feast of all Iranian peoples, so much so that, even with the arrival of Islam, it continued to be celebrated as a sort of “popular tradition”, resisting the passage of time without any problem. Its value, however, has increased exponentially since the 1950s, especially in Turkey, a place where it had never been as central as in Iran or Iraq. These countries, in fact, were already celebrating Nowruz as it was connected with the rest of the local populations. , which is not entirely true for the Turkish world.
Recent migrations and the growing tension with Ankara, however, also led the inhabitants of Turkish and Syrian Kurdistan to celebrate everything with incredible strength, so much so that it became a festival of the people rather than a spring. This has caused Turkey to look at the party with suspicion for years, legalizing it only in 2000 and with the name of Nevruz, the only official denomination in the country. Unfortunately, some clashes between Turkish soldiers and Kurdish militiamen took place during this demonstration, with attacks and deaths on both sides. To pay the consequences, of course, the population that in recent years has seen more and more hatred and prejudices make their way, preventing or altering one of the sweetest and oldest festivals that exist.
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