Over 50,000 people gathered in Frankfurt today, according to German press reports citing police sources, to mark the final and most vibrant Newroz celebration of 2025 across Germany’s Kurdish diaspora. Held in Rebstockpark on the outskirts of the city and organised by NAV-DEM, the largest Kurdish umbrella organisation in Germany, the event transformed the park into a vivid and festive fairground of Kurdish culture. Organisers who had expected around 15,000 participants witnessed a turnout that far exceeded their estimates. It became not only a celebration of the new year, but for the Kurds, a living expression of Kurdish identity, unity and resistance.
From early morning to late evening, the park was alive with the sights, sounds and spirit of Newroz. Visitors moved from stage to tent, witnessing a diverse array of cultural displays. Traditional Kurdish dances (govend) captivated the audience, performed by groups from across the diaspora, many wearing regionally distinct dress that reflected the geographical and cultural breadth of Kurdistan. Music echoed from the main stage and surrounding corners, while local and international artists shared folkloric and contemporary pieces.
🔥🌺✨**#NEWROZ2025 GERMANY**
💃 GOVEND IN FULL BLOOM
A mesmerising all-women govend performance lit up the final and largest Newroz celebration of the Kurdish diaspora in Germany, held in Frankfurt—with colour, rhythm, and radiant energy.
👗 A TAPESTRY OF REGIONSEach dancer,… pic.twitter.com/5Yl6A8jfs1
— Medya News (@medyanewsx) March 29, 2025
A mesmerising all-women govend performance lit up the final and largest Newroz celebration of the Kurdish diaspora in Germany, held in Frankfurt, with colour, rhythm and radiant energy.
Tents throughout the Newroz space offered interactive exhibitions and activities. Panels on Kurdish history, storytelling sessions, poetry readings and children’s craft workshops created an atmosphere akin to a cultural village. Bookstands displayed works in Kurdish, Turkish, German and English, with authors and publishers present to engage with readers. A variety of Kurdish cuisines, from Rojava to Bakur, from Başûr to Rojhilat*, added aroma and flavour to the celebration, offering tastes of home to those in exile and in the diaspora.
One of the most powerful moments of the day came from the main stage, where Cengiz Çiçek, MP and lawyer acting for Öcalan, addressed the crowd. Çiçek, who was also a member of a seven-person delegation who visited Öcalan on 27 February, delivered a stirring speech, relaying greetings and a message from Öcalan himself.
“Mr Öcalan sends his regards and greetings to all of you,” he said. “He reminded us that this is a 52-year-long marathon for Kurdish freedom, a struggle in which he has never once compromised the path or words of Şeyh Said and Seyit Rıza.”
Şeyh Said and Seyit Rıza were leaders of major Kurdish uprisings against the Turkish Republic during its founding decades—the first in 1925 and the second in 1938. Both were executed by the Turkish state, but their legacies continue to symbolise resistance for many Kurds. As Çiçek also noted, Öcalan remains committed to the ideals they embodied.
Öcalan’s message, as shared by Çiçek, recalled that the journey began in 1973, when he and a group of fellow student comrades first celebrated Newroz in Ankara—an act that would later mark the symbolic beginning of the Kurdish national liberation movement and lead to the founding of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). That first Newroz, modest in scale, was the first step in what he described as the “national democratic resistance” for Kurdish rights and identity.
“It is time for freedom. The call for peace and democracy completes the revolution,” Öcalan declared from İmralı prison, urging the Kurdish people to trust in themselves rather than in the state. His message reiterated the inseparable link between Kurdish political will and broader democratic hopes in the region.
“The Kurdish people have been on the streets and squares for 50 years,” Çiçek said. “If there is still hope for democracy in Turkey and the Middle East, it is thanks to this long and determined struggle.”
Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) Co-Chair Ahmed Karamus also took the stage, to highlight the urgency of Kurdish national unity in the face of ongoing challenges. He echoed Öcalan’s message, saying:
“At a time when the Kurdish question remains unresolved and our people are under pressure across the four parts of Kurdistan, we must rally around the shared values of justice, freedom and dignity. This unity is not only a strategic necessity, but a moral imperative.”
One of the most warmly received speakers of the day was Ilham Ahmed, a leading figure in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). Addressing the crowd with passion, she shared the following message:
“In the past 14 years, the peoples of Rojava have mounted great resistance. I dedicate this Newroz to the martyrs, to the leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan], and to all those who have resisted. The Kurdish freedom struggle is interconnected—Rojava, Bakur, Başûr and Rojhilat are all bound together. One cannot exist without the others.”
Ahmed continued: “Today, Kurds are saying loud and clear—there is nothing more valuable than freedom. Long live the Kurds and Kurdistan!” With visible emotion, Ahmed concluded with the hopeful words: “I also bring good news: following the holidays, there will be positive announcements regarding national unity from Rojava.” Her remarks were met with chants and applause from a crowd energised by her call for collective strength and perseverance.
The celebration ended in an atmosphere of joy and defiance, with resounding chants of Serkeftin! (Victory) and Newroz Pîroz be! (Happy Newroz) echoing across the park. Fire torches were lit as symbols of light and resistance as families, activists, artists and organisers came together to mark what is for Kurds another chapter in the Kurdish people’s struggle for dignity, identity and liberation. Frankfurt’s Newroz was not only the final event of the season—it was its most powerful and unforgettable gathering.
*The names Rojava, Bakur, Başûr and Rojhilat—frequently used in Kurdish discourse—refer to the four parts of Kurdistan as divided among four nation-states in the early 20th century. Etymologically, these terms are directional: Rojava (West – northeastern Syria), Bakur (North – eastern and southeastern Turkey), Başûr (South – the Kurdistan Region of Iraq) and Rojhilat (East – northwestern Iran). Over the decades of the Kurdish liberation movement, these terms have been used by the Kurdish people to affirm the unity of a fragmented homeland and a shared struggle for freedom across borders.
