As they say here "No place does Nawroz like Slemani" and a million people packed Salim Street on Thursday evening just to prove it.Exactly 2714 years ago, Kawa, a Kurdish blacksmith used his hammer to bash to death the Assyrian tyrant king Zarhak and the Kurds have been celebrating ever since.
Nawroz harks back to Kurdistan's pre-Islamic roots, as this is also an ancient spring festival falling on the Spring equinox (March 21st) and fire, a symbol at the heart of Zoroastrian religion, is an essential ingredient of Nawroz festivities.The day started off much quieter than most and it wasn't until after 2pm that people started drifting towards Salim Street in the heart of Slemani. By 3pm the numbers arriving started to increase and by 4 pm the street was busy, at 5pm crowded and by 6pm the entire 5km length of the street was jam packed.
Festivities began by the lighting of a large fire at the southern end of the street, though I must admit it failed to catch quickly and never turned into a roaring blaze. Along the street six different stages offered variations on Kurdish music and performance, all of it very loud.No New Year is complete without fireworks and at 7pm outside the PUK headquarters, there was a credible display. Among the crowd and for the entire evening, more modest and impromptu displays blazed away the night.
Nawroz is very much a celebration of Kurdish identity and over 80% of
the people in the street that evening wore traditional clothing. Not to
be left out, I had a new shirt to go with my nice Kurdish suit, but
that didn't extend to the klash shoes which are very uncomfortable. I didn't quite have my pants right, so a nice young man just stopped in the street and adjusted my pants and cummerbund. Kurds are not shy people. While alcohol is freely available, in reality in Kurdish society drinking is at best very modest and alcohol is just not part of this celebration. New Year, one million people, no alcohol, no fights and no arrests :)
Read more: http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/21032014
Assyrian tyrant Zahhak
Assyrian tyrant Zahhak
No comments:
Post a Comment