To read part 3 of this article click here
In the previous part of this article, I talked about the emergence and history of Kurdish Newroz, Newroz and the religion of Mitra, the history of Zuhak and Kawa the Smith, and I interviewed the researchers about the baseless story of Zuhak and Kawa the Smith and Shahnameh by Ferdousi and all the deceptions the dominant authorities of Kurdistan have planned. In the continuation of this article, we will talk about "the Newroz in the old days and nowadays, the relationship between Newroz and Chwarshama Souri, and the impact of Newroz on the economic development of Kurdistan.
Newroz in the old days and nowadays
There is not much of a difference between the Newroz ceremony in the past and nowadays and one can say that Kurdish people have kept this tradition happily the same as the past without too many changes. The technological developments have not been able to have negative effects on such a tradition, on the contrary, it has been very effective in introducing this ancient Kurdish ceremony to others.
How much has Newroz changed?
The date of Newroz has not changed and it is celebrated on the same day as it was thousands of years ago. The fire has always been a part of this ceremony and it continues to remain a part of it. The happy celebration of Newroz is still a part of it. Some researchers believe there have been some changes like the name of Newroz which was "Zagmak" during the Sumerian era, but some other names have been used for it. For example, during the Sassanids era, Zagmak changed into "Noukroj" which means a new day; since Newroz has been expanded geographically and has surpassed Kurdistan's borders and has reached China, Egypt, and India … they all have given Newroz a name. however, Newroz has become a national symbol. All over the world, Kurds have been sacrificed for the Newroz fire. Kurds have saved Newroz with their own lives.
The relationship between Newroz and Chwarshama Souri:
In the Yazidi religion, Chwarshama Souri (the red Wednesday) is held in the second month of Spring "Gulan" which is during April. This month is very sacred for them. During this month they do not hold weddings, or disturb nature and they believe that the meadows are the most beautiful bride and nature revives once again. The major difference between the Chwarshama Souri of the Yazidis and the Kurds from the eastern part of Kurdistan is that the second group holds this ceremony at the end of winter.
Hadi Azizi, a historian, believes that: "I prefer the Yazidi religion because the Yazidi religion as a part of Kurdistan history is a religion that describes the nature and material of Kurdistan such as Yarsani, as the root of Mithtaic religion, except that their religion has not been destroyed but they have guarded it defensively. They have preserved a series of points and methods in their religious content that are related to the ancient land of Kurdistan. Thus, if there is an hour between these two events, it is just a historical coincidence and there is no connection between them."
"Zeinal Abedin Znar" also talks about this topic: "Chwarshama Souri is introduced to the Kurds in a wrong way. If you ask any Kurdish citizen about this event, they will tell you that it belongs to the Yazidis. No, this is wrong. This is a national celebration belonging to the Kurdish nation. Most of the Yazidi Kurds have still remained on their national origins and they still celebrate their traditional events, unfortunately, however, the other Kurds do not celebrate this event and they say it belongs to the Yazidis. In fact, Newroz and Chwarshama Souri have no connection to each other."
Figure: Yazidis CHwarshama Souri Celebration
How should the Kurds deal with Newroz?
In fact, the world needs to realize the connection between Newroz and Kurds and the Kurdish people must benefit from this in any way possible.
For instance, if an organization or center was pioneered in Kurdistan and took over the responsibility of managing Newroz and organizing the Newroz Festival in some historical places and invited several countries or cultural groups of the world to the Newroz festival every year, a gate would be opened for Kurdistan's economical development and this center could make Kurdistan an ancient tourist destination and could even organize literary, artistic, cultural, sports and cinema activities in Newroz festival.
If this was done, more and more people would be affected by this. In fact, the Kurdish people are not taking responsibility for their ancient background and the Kurdish individuals only repeat the Newroz anthems or simply wear their Kurdish clothes. Even these citizens do not follow Newroz traditional rituals. Newroz belongs to Kurds and Kurdistan and we must protect this history and culture and take responsibility for owning it completely and remembering our past forever.
