The name of the city of Akre is derived from the Kurdish word agir, meaning fire. During the annual Newroz, or Kurdish New Year, celebrations on March 20, locals with torches descend from the mountains surrounding the town.
Thanks to this tradition, as well as a large fireworks show put on each year, the city is known as the capital of Newroz.
During the Newroz holidays officially held from March 21-23, people in Kurdistan and abroad dress in colorful clothes, jump over fires, and gather for picnics.
Happy Kurdish New Year, 2724 to all Kurds in Kurdistan and those who live abroad, and to all other nations who celebrate Newroz. May the New Year bring more peace and prosperity to all.
— Masoud Barzani (@masoud_barzani) March 20, 2024
“Happy Kurdish New Year, 2724 to all Kurds in Kurdistan and those who live abroad, and to all other nations who celebrate Newroz,” Kurdistan Democratic Party President Masoud Barzani said in a post on X on March 20. “May the New Year bring more peace and prosperity to all.”
This year, Newroz in Akre will be a bit different, since people are fasting due to the holy month of Ramadan.
The Newroz festivities in Akre this year will commence after people break their fast and partake in their evening iftar meal. “After iftar, the Newroz fires will be lit,” said Ghafour Rajab Ghafour, the owner of the traditional Kurdish restaurant Xanedan in Akre.
“The preparations for this year’s Newroz are significant, since Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the many other diplomats are participating in Akre’s Newroz. There will be a massive festival at the mountaintop. It will be amazing this year,” he told Kurdistan Chronicle.
بە وێنە؛ ئامادەکاریی بەردەوامی خەڵکی ئاکرێ بۆ نەورۆزی ئەمساڵ؛ کە بڕیارە سەرۆکی حکومەتی هەرێمی کوردستان و خەڵکی بیانی بەشداری تیادا بکەن. pic.twitter.com/qkh0Xz01w8
— KRG Dept. of Media & Information (@DMI_KRG) March 17, 2024
Shamal Hashim, the head of the Zerki volunteer group that will carry torches during the celebration, says there are around 2,500 torches being prepared this year.
“There are eight groups who carry the torches; they are all volunteers. I am part of one of those groups. There are going to be fireworks and nice scenery, and we have prepared 15,000-20,000 fireworks.”
“This year, Newroz will be different from other years, because Prime Minister Barzani will participate, and a lot of foreign guests will come to Akre,” he told Kurdistan Chronicle.
The holiday has been preceded by heavy rainfall in the Kurdistan Region. In Duhok, at least two civilians were killed in flash floods.
However, the Newroz organizers say that the celebrations will continue despite the rain. “The weather is good now,” Ghafour said. “From 1:00 pm through the afternoon, we are expecting good weather.”
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Tariq Aqrawi, the former Ambassador of Iraq to Austria and a prominent figure in Akre, previously told Kurdistan Chronicle that the Newroz celebrations are of special importance to the city. During the oppressive rule of the Ba’ath regime, “young people went to the mountains and celebrated secretly.”
However, after the establishment of a no-fly zone by Western coalition partners in 1991 to safeguard the Kurds from Saddam Hussein’s regime, the subsequent free elections in the Kurdistan Region and the formation of the KRG in 1992 transformed the way that Newroz was celebrated in Akre.
“After 1992, it became very free,” Ambassador Aqrawi said. “It became a very big celebration, unlike other towns, with torches in the mountains. Just as people call Sulaymaniyah the capital of culture, we call Akre the capital of Newroz because it is really special.”
