As a tradition that started in 2003. Kurdish Youth Club each year dedicates its Newroz to a cause. This year's Newroz was dedicated to learning about Newroz itself. How do Kurds celebrate it, what do Afghans and Iranians do at their Newroz. These were different presentations available at the party. Kurdish Youth Club also made a picture story of Kawai Asingar for the Kids. The story told the epic journey of Kawa and his people as they struggled under the suppression of the tyrant Zuhak. KYC promises to have the story available for public so that all Kurdish children can benefit from it. The story will be published on youtube in English, and in both Kurdish dialects of Sorani and Kirmanci.
Kurdish Children sitting on the dance floor as Ara Alan tells them the story of Kawai Ahsinger (Kawa the Black Smith)
The night was full of dancing and the guests continuously complemented the joy filled and successful Newroz. Two wonderful singers from California were brought to Atlanta, Mr. Alan Karkuki and Mr. Majid Taha. Makwan Jabar provided continuous music for both singers. Which, they sang in both Kirmanci and Sorani dialects. It was an evening full of dance and party where the guests continuously danced until 1 am.
Maçid Kestey one of the evening singers also a Saz player. Makwan Jabar performing on the Keyboard
The evening program was also composed of Bret Duvall speaker of Middle East Socio-political Association, and Tahereh Aghdasifar speaker of Iranian Student Association both organizations were from Georgia State University. Omarzaman Sayedi from Emory University explained the Newroz in Afganistan. Ara Alan explained Kurdish Youth Club's past year activity and their future plans. Importance of Kurdish community participation in Kurdish cultural and demonstrations were one of the highlights of his speech. Another point of pride was the successful opening of Kurdish Youth Club branch in Arizona and the high level of activity put out by the new group of KYC in that state. KYC Van Aran was recognized as KYC member of the year. Followed by Kocher Arslan, who explained the plight of a group of Kurdish Youth in Turkey who are sentenced six years in jail after celebrating Newroz 2006 at their University in Ankara.
Kurdish Children stood with signs representing the 14 Youth arrested for celebrating Newroz last year!
As a surprise to the audience KYC provided a raffle. This was based on a number that was given to all guests entering the program. The winners of the raffle took home, Toshiba DVD player and two $25.00 gift certificates to Mediterranean grill. Visit www.KurdishYouthClub.com for more pictures and upcoming KYC events. Please sign in yourself and your friends to be on the email list so that we can notify you of upcoming activities.
Some of the Happy people at Newroz. This picture was taken after hours of dancing at 1:10 Am
KYC activity for Newroz in other states includes:
Arizona Kurdish society held a Newroz party in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday March 23, 2008 at the Cedars. They were joined by Kurds from Tucson. Although the party was organized by Arizona Kurdish Society, The Kurdish Youth Club participated by creating an informative PowerPoint. This PowerPoint included pictures from past Newrozes, and the history of Newroz for the children at the party. Everyone in the audience thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, and it even convinced 4 Kurds from Tucson to join the youth club.
On Sunday March 23, Kurdistan Cultural Institute, in association with Kurdish Youth Club, held a Newroz Party in Nashville, Tennessee. The celebration began at 6:00 PM with the Kurdish National Anthem, followed by opening remarks by Mihamad Ibrahim, president of Kurdistan Cultural Institute. Following the speech, singers Diyar Bakir and Alan Karkuki, along with musician Makwan Jabar, performed for the crowd. The party was concluded at 12:00AM.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Kawa was in Atlanta for Newroz!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Syrian and Turkish Forces attack Kurds celebrating Newroz holiday
In the largest Kurdish city, Diyarbakir (or Amed, in Kurdish), reports say that over 1 million people gathered to listen to the music, dance, and hear speeches from the local Kurdish politicians. Pictures from the event showed Turkish jets and helicopters flying low but there were no encounters with this extremely large crowd of celebrators.
However, while the festival in the Diyarbakir remained peaceful with no Turkish forces to intervene (perhaps because of the size of the festival there), other areas of celebration did not.
In particular, across the border in Syria in the Kurdish city of Qamishli, three Kurds were shot dead by Syrian "security" forces. The reports say that the Syrian forces opened gunfire into the crowd after celebrators lit torches as part of the festivities. Fire (and torches) is a big part of the Newroz celebrations all over the world, and it seems rather that the Syrian forces were simply more interested in looking for an excuse to open gunfire on the crowd in order to disperse them than they were concerned for a few torches.
Kurdish celebrators were also met with violence elsewhere. In several Kurdish cities throughout Turkey, Newroz celebrations were simply forbidden just as they have been in the past. The people in the Kurdish cities of Van, Hakkari, Urfa, and Siirt were denied permits to carry out their festivities.
Nevertheless, you cannot stop the people from celebrating an ancient holiday. Music was played loud and clear, and the celebrators set up fires to jump over; jumping over fire is an old tradition practiced all over the world by the various groups that celebrate Newroz. Unfortunately, in these cities, Turkish forces responded to peaceful celebrators with violence using batons, tear gas and water cannons. Many were injured and hundreds are said to have been arrested.
The following video was captured by the Turkish daily newspaper, Hürriyet, and speaks for itself. Local sources (verified by more video footage) say the festival started peaceful until Turkish police rushed the celebrators at times even beating the women with their batons as can be seen.
Update: Two more deaths in Turkey after victims suffered severe injuries reported the Agence France-Presse. People again poured into the streets to protest and more clashes with Turkish police left several more protesters injured.
Newroz in Southeast USA!
Newroz is the start of New Day, New Spring, and New Year in the Kurdish calendar. It is the most loyal happy occasion in the Kurdish history. Revisiting every year and bringing back joy and happiness to Kurds all over the world. Newroz is the greatest gift to Kurds for their struggle to survive against the harsh winters and oppressing occupiers. Newroz revives patriotism and nationalism in the hearts and minds of every Kurd; it strengthens Kurdish souls to stand united and strong for the following year.
Kurds on the other hand have sacrificed many heroes and heroines each year to reach this day. They have kept this day alive by prevailing against oppressors and dictators and carrying on the flames of freedom from generation to generation. For many years, Kurds in Kurdistan have celebrated this day by singing, dancing and wearing traditional Kurdish customs to pass down the heroic stories of Kurdish men and women who sacrificed their lives to achieve victory for their sons and daughters. For Kurds living abroad, there are many obstacles in celebrating this day, especially for those living in the United States. Distance, time and daily routines have defeated the importance of this occasion especially for the younger Kurdish generations; who are born outside of Kurdistan and know little about the true meaning of Newroz and its importance for the survival of Kurds in Kurdistan. This is apparent among the younger generation who know very little about the most known mythical story of Kawa which is a story of a Kurdish Ironsmith who defeated Dahak the oppressor and brought victory to the Med nation almost 3000 years ago. On March 22, 2008, I had the privilege to experience a different Newroz celebration in Atlanta, Georgia, which I hadn't experienced for many years in celebrating Newroz in the United States. A group of dedicated members of Kurdish Youth Club (KYC), http://www.kurdishyouthclub.com/, organized an effective celebration that truly delivered the meaning of Newroz to the attendees. The well planned program included activities that met everyone's needs. The celebration included non-Kurds who came to learn about the meaning of Newroz; Kurdish parents who spent a night full of Kurdish dancing and socializing; finally, it included second and third generation Kurds in America, who sat down in the front listening to the Story of Kawa being told while gazing in maze at the detailed graphics of the thousand year old story that was prepared and delivered by KYC. Participants of this event included Kurds from all of Southeast region. We like to congratulate KYC for their hard work and we hope to see these activities in every Newroz celebration across United States. Happy New Year. "Newroz Piroz Be"
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Newroz Pîroz Bê
Happy New Year to all Kurdish Review writers and readers. I hope the New Year brings you and your loved ones nothing but good fortune and success.
In Kurdistan, Newroz has become a symbol of the struggle for liberation and a day to celebrate the freedoms one has and the freedoms one deserves and longs to achieve. In our old traditions, songs and folktales, it is believed that Newroz has been practiced in this respect for centuries with the liberations of various ancient kingdoms from Mitanni and Medya to the modern region as we know it today. Let's remember and celebrate Newroz for these very special meanings that go beyond that of a simple holiday.
Newroz Pîroz Bê... May your New Day be blessed until your old days...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Halabja, March 14 1988
What took place in Halabja just two days before the gassing............. When the peshmerges started to fight again after claps of 1974; they had to start from scratch. They cleared one hill top after the next. Soon in a 10 year period they controlled many villages, and regions of Kurdistan. They created a section of Iraqi Kurdistan and they called it "Nawche Azad Krawekan", The Free Territories. I remember I was a kid and we went to visit my uncle that I have never seen. He became a peshmerge shortly after I was born. At this point he was in charge of Karubari Komelayeti Sharbajir. It was a big span of territory in the 80s free from Saddam. The people of these villages were happy and free. Peshmargas set up a revolutionary command and government system: Courts, judges, people's relation, radio…etc of course they were all peshmargas. The masuls, the judges and my uncle too they all went to battles and they kept all Iraqi Advances at bay. By March 14 1988 the Peshmarges were stronger than ever and the Iraqis were weakened and more disparate. It is their continuous war with Iran and the Kurds which is exhausting them. It seems today the peshmarges are making a daring mission……..they dared to come: not to free just another village or some farmlands but a city! They have moved in onto Halabja. They say that they want to free Halabja. The people of Halabja are also getting ready to explode into a demonstration. People are happy that they will be free from Iraqi IFA and Jeeps. Happy that they will be free from Black and red braid of Iraqi solders, they would be free from being harassed in Arabic while conducting their daily business. They were happy! They were happy to be free! School kids were still going to their classes, but the teacher knew. They knew that in a few days they will write the word Kurdistan on the black board. They knew this Newroz of 1988 in Halabja they will celebrate like no other Newroz. It will be a Newroz of Joy a free Newroz: Newrozi Azadi! Some shopkeepers were happy that maybe they can raise the price a dinar or two! If peshmerges come then they can use this opportunity to gain some extra money! "Hey it is a war and no one knows what is going to happen", thought a shopkeeper that he would explain to his clients if they complained. They were also thinking of the possibility that Irani good "shti qachax" will flood the market. Lack of Iraqi presence will make it easier to access Iran and their cheep goods. March 14 1988 in Halabja was a happy day. Halabja and its people were about to be free. March 14 was a promising day; it was an early spring day. It was a day where you could smell the blooming of Nergis (flower of Newroz) coming down from the mountains. If you stood and looked to the east you could see the rainbow coming out behind the blue and steep mountain where it must have rained a heavy spring rain. March 14 was a day full of laughter, life and promise in Halabja…….
People are talking and getting ready to demonstrate against Saddam. The signs and activities of Peshmarge are becoming more visible in the city. By this point the "Free Territories" had increased and peshmergekani Kurdistan were much stronger. They are even getting ready to clear out a city from Iraqi regime!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Newroz Celebrations in Southern California
Çend sal e gula hîvya mebest bû heta par Her xûna lawan bû gula ava nû bihar Wî rengê sore bû ke asoyê bilindî kurd Mizgîna beyanê bo gele dûr û nêzîk bîr Ewroz bû agrekî weha xiste nav cergewe Lawan bi eşq diçûn pêşber pir mergewe Wa roj hilat ji bedena berza welatewe Xûna şehîd e rengê şefeq şewq vedatewe Heta niha li tarîxa milet da rû nede Qelxana gulê sîngê keçikan be hilnede Bo şehîdê weten naxwaze şîwen û girîn Ew namirin wa li dilê miletan de dijîn. 
The Kurdish American Youth Organization (KAYO) of Southern California as well as the Kurdish-American Community of San Diego will be co-hosting three days of Newroz festivities in San Diego, California as they welcome the Kurdish New Year. Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to join the Kurdish community of Southern California in celebrating this ancient and legendary holiday which is the single most important holiday celebrated by Kurds everywhere. The festivities will include Kurdish music, dance, poetry, and all the yummy Kurdish food you can eat for free!
1st Day: Newroz Bonfire
Where: La Jolla Shores, CA (8200 Camino Del Oro, La Jolla, 92037)
When: Friday, March 21 from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Contact: (619)447-9933
2nd Day: Newroz Picnic/Potluck for Youth
Where: La Jolla Shores, CA (8200 Camino Del Oro, La Jolla, 92037)
When: Saturday, March 22 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Contact: (619)447-9933
3rd Day: Newroz Community Picnic
Where: Flinn Springs Park ( 14701 Old Highway 80, El Cajon, CA 92021)
When: Sunday, March 23 from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Contact: (619)447-9933Eva roja sala taze ye Newroz hatiye Cejna kevnê kurd e bi xweşî hatiye
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