The ‘Historic’ Newroz In Amed (Diyarbakır)

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

                                     
 People start to come to theNewroz area early in the morning

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.

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