Newroz
(new day) is a fest of celebrating the coming of spring
in the Middle East by the Indo-iranian or Aryan people. It is a traditional
fest which is celebrated every year on the 21st of March. People wear their
colorful clothes as if they wanted to show the color of the spring and go out
to celebrate this day. So, everyone can see the harmony between the colorful
clothes and coloured spring in the fest. 21st of March is also a start point of
a new year and celebrated as a new year in Iran today. The story or legend is
also common among both Kurdish and Iranian people. But the meaning of this fest
has changed in years. While it was kept continuing celebrating as a new year
fest in Iran, It got the `resurrection and freedom` meanings among the Kurds as
they were/are the World’s biggest stateless nation.
Newroz
was also a legend narrated in Kurdish folk literature until mid-80’s when the
fighting between Kurdish guerillas and Turkish security forces began. It
transformed from a legend to national fest in those years step by step
depending on Kurdish struggle for their own rights.
FIRE for FREEDOM: NEWROZ
Kurdish mythology, Newroz is considered a day of freedom from the cruel king
Dehaq. Dehaq was an Asyrian king who ruled the all region including the land of
Medes who are believed to be Kurd’s ancestors. It remains legend until mid
80’s.
After
the military coup in Turkey, on the 12 September 1980, around 650.000 people
were detained among them there were many Kurdish. In Diyarbakır prison the most
horrible torture were applied. To protest this inhuman torturing, Mazlum Doğan,
a member committe of PKK set his cell on fire on the 21st of March. And it
became a starting point of transforming Newroz’s meaning. By then, Newroz was
started to celebrate as a ‘resurrection and freedom day’ by Kurdish guerillas and its supporters in
the cities.
In
the beginning of 90’s, Newroz was already celebrated by a mass of people while
the banning on this fest and inhibitions against celebrating this fest
tightened by the state and its forces. In the Newroz’s celebrating in Nusaybin
and Cizre over 100 people were killed in two days by security forces.
It
was another point in the Newroz celebratings in the sense of transforming its
meaning. And year by year the more people attended this celebrations altough
the state banned every year and its forces attack more and more.
After
detaining the leader of PKK Abdullah Öcalan in 1999, and his call for
withdrawing of PKK’s guerilla from inside of Turkey to the Qandil Mountains,
there was relaxation in Turkey and so more people involve in Newroz
celebratings each year.
Depending
on conditions both in the cities and the intensity of the clashes in the
mountains, the manner of the state local authorities were changing. As it was
seen in the 2012’s Newroz, because of the political situation, the order not to
let the people celebrate the Newroz in Diyarbakır came from internal ministry.
And
this year, 21st of March, about two million people were in the Newroz Area to
celebrate both their ‘national’ fest and to hear the ‘new era of struggle’
which came from Abdullah Öcalan, who now is accepted by many of them as a
Kurdish Leader.
It
was said that Newroz 2013 would be ‘historic’. And it was, over two million
people, raising flags of Kurdistan and PKK, no obstacle by Turkish authorities
and security forces, and Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s calls for the new era ‘the time
of armed struggle is over, it is time for political struggle’.
21.03.2013
Amed/Diyarbekir
Preparations for Newroz:
And Newroz, 21st of March
There was already big crowd before the program started.
Someone preferred to celebrate by watching them on the balcony.
All the people were there, old, young, men and women and children.
*All the pictures can be published only with the consent of Author/Photographer
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