New York Kurdish Cultural Centre is set to revive Şeva Zivistanê (Night of Winter), one of the oldest known solstice traditions dating back 5000 years, marking the triumph of light over darkness. On 14 December, at the centre’s fourth such annual event, Kurdish Americans will open the centre’s doors to the wider community to join family-orientated festivities, with feasting on pomegranates, traditional dancing, and sweet treats handed out to the children.
Modern day Şeva Zivistanê, known by Kurds as Şeva Çilê (Night of January), or Şeva Yalda (Night of Birth, stemming from the Assyrian language) is still celebrated by the Yarsani community in Kurdish-majority Iran, known as Rojhilat, and observed, less frequently, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Yazidis and Alevis, mark the solstice similarly, sharing a connection to Zoroastrianism with reverence for light and fire.
The New York-based centre showcases Kurdish contributions to the visual and performing arts, cinema and literature, fostering community among the diaspora and building bridges with non-Kurdish communities abroad. The Şeva Zivistanê event promises to be a vibrant and inclusive cultural experience for all attendees, aiding the revival of an ancient part of Kurdish cultural heritage.
