On 18 March, Kurds in Urmia, the capital of West Azerbaijan Province, held their first mass Newroz ceremony, marking the largest Kurdish celebration of Newroz in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat) to date. Kurds lit Newroz fires from Urmia to Sarpol-e-Zahab (Serpel), defying warnings from security agencies.
Until 15 years ago, Newroz in Iranian Kurdistan was primarily a neutral celebration, centred on family gatherings, social events, and traditional feasting. However, over the past decade, inspired by the revolutionary culture in other Kurdish-majority regions, Newroz in Iran has gradually evolved into a symbol of resistance and struggle, emerging as a highly politicised event.
Iranian authorities have tightened restrictions for this year’s 2025 Newroz celebrations, issuing direct threats from Urmia’s Intelligence Agency, fearing that the festival’s shift from a cultural tradition to a political symbol could incite further dissent. Despite these measures, celebrations saw a massive turnout with over 100,000 people gathering in the city dressed in traditional Kurdish attire, to participate in dances, fire-lighting rituals, and speeches.
Niha jî emê berê xwe bidin Rojhilatê Kurdistanê…
Ji Urmiye, Îlam, Serdeşt, Sine, Bokan û Germiran dîmen hene..Her bajarek bi reng û dengê xwe Newroz pîroz kir.#Newroz #Rojhilat pic.twitter.com/LRsgVLdQMJ— Stêrk TV (@StrkTV198741) March 19, 2025
As the crowd assembled, the ceremonial Newroz fire was lit, and the event’s organising committee made statements. The celebration continued with traditional Kurdish dances around the flames, accompanied by the singing of Newroz songs.
A significant number of Kurds also held a mass celebration in Naqadeh (Nexede), located in the same province, here too turning Newroz into a symbol of political resistance.
Rihê PKK’ê li Rojhilat e…
Dîmenek ji Newroza dîrokî ya Urmiyê #Rojhilat #Newroz #Newroz2725 #Newroz2025 #JinJiyanAzadi pic.twitter.com/ndduYneap9
— ikram Balekanî (𝓅𝒶𝓇𝑜𝒹𝓎) (@ikramBalekaniTv) March 18, 2025
The celebration of Newroz in Urmia and Naqadeh, both ethnically mixed cities with Kurdish and Turkish populations, provoked strong reactions from some of the Turkish residents, who held a counter-gathering in another part of Urmia, chanting racist slogans.
Meanwhile, Kurds in Bokan and Sardasht delivered messages of Kurdish freedom and resistance in their own mass celebrations. Residents engaged in Kurdish dance, performed fire songs and celebrated Newroz en masse, in spite of Ramadan and concurrent Shiite mourning ceremonies.
یک ویدیوی به قول جوانترها «خفن» از مراسم نوروز بوکان pic.twitter.com/TT3VaPr2rz
— Saman Rasoulpour (@SamRasoulpour) March 18, 2025
In Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, along with lively Newroz festivities, the “Hora” Music Academy staged a remarkable street performance of children’s music in honour of the occasion.
In the Yarsan-majority region of Gavareh, Kurds upheld their ancient traditions, donning Kurdish attire and lighting fires. Similar ceremonies took place in Sarpol-e-Zahab in Ilam Province.
With Newroz coinciding with Ramadan and the onset of Shi’ite mourning rituals, the authorities of Islamic Republic issued numerous warnings against its celebration, with the tightest restrictions in Iranian Kurdistan.
Following Newroz celebrations in Oshnavieh (Sino), four individuals are known to have been arrested, with many others ordered to attend security centres.
In Saqqez, Kurdish singer Fawad Keshavarz was detained by security forces after participating in the Newroz festivities in Shar-e-Sahib (Saheb).
The Kurdish people have ensured that Newroz ceremonies continue across all cities and villages of Iranian Kurdistan in defiance of a statement from the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran’s Ilam province Sadegh Hossaini, who declared in early March that the holding of Newroz celebrations was against the principles of the Islamic Revolution.
Inspired by the the 27 February peace call of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, Iranian Kurds are celebrating Newroz 2025 with unprecedented enthusiasm and fervour.
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Kurds in Iran celebrate Newroz in defiance of revolutionary guard warnings, threats
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