Newroz 2026 was celebrated with great magnificence. Across Kurdistan and abroad, the Kurdish people, together with democratic forces, marked one of the largest Newroz celebrations in decades. Although this year the people of Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhilat) were unable to celebrate at the desired level due to the Iran–United States/Israel war, the heart of all Newroz gatherings also beat for the peoples in Iran. As is known, nearly all peoples of Iran celebrate Newroz.
Newroz 2026 was marked at a time when what is described as a Third World War in the Middle East has intensified. The Kurdish people demonstrated their collective strength, declaring that they cannot be ignored in the region’s new political balances. They showed that policies of denial, destruction, and assimilation cannot eliminate the Kurds. In this respect, Newroz 2026 carried profound significance. We also warmly congratulate and salute those who celebrated Newroz with such strength.
This Newroz was marked as the “Newroz of freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and Democratic Kurdish Unity.” The Kurdish people strongly embraced these goals and filled the squares. Youth and women gave this Newroz its powerful enthusiasm, demonstrating their determination to achieve these aims.
This Newroz is the result of a struggle that began 53 years ago with the declaration that “Kurdistan is a colony.” The struggle strengthened Newroz, and Newroz, in turn, strengthened the struggle. How Newroz has been celebrated over these 53 years, and how these celebrations accumulated to produce such outcomes, is best understood by the Kurdish people themselves. Through great resistance, by shielding themselves against bullets, the Kurdish people created these values. Those who enabled the Kurdish people to rise powerfully during Newroz were modern-day Kawa figures such as Mazlum Doğan, Zekiye Alkan, Rahşan Demirel, Ronahi, Berivan, and Sema Yüce. For decades, the Newroz fire has never been extinguished in the mountains and plains; it has grown stronger, transforming into a powerful flame and struggle across all four parts of Kurdistan and everywhere.
The answer to why Newroz 2026 has been so powerful must be sought in the 53-year struggle carried out by the Kurdish people. In the 1990s, hundreds of people were killed in Newroz squares. At that time, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan stated that the Kurdish people had become “Newroz people,” emphasizing that they are people of uprising. Indeed, every Newroz once again demonstrates that the Kurdish people are a Newroz people.
Newroz has become closely associated with women and youth. Women and young people fill the squares, turning them into waves of enthusiasm. Newroz has also become identified with women’s traditional national dress. It is women who most powerfully express Kurdish identity during Newroz. This has also enabled Newroz to become a strong national culture, more precisely, it has deepened, enriched, and strengthened this aspect of Newroz.
The Kurdish people have strengthened their democratic unity at a societal level. They have responded powerfully in the squares to the call for Democratic Kurdish Unity. What made this possible is the uninterrupted struggle carried out over 53 years. The Kurdish people in all four parts of Kurdistan know very well that all gains have been achieved through this struggle, and that their preservation will also be ensured through this democratic unity.
The immediate reason why Newroz 2026 was celebrated with such magnificence is the call of February 27, 2025. The Kurdish people filled the squares in order to support and respond to this call. Accordingly, the most frequently chanted slogan in Newroz squares was “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan.” The most applauded message was the Newroz letter sent from Imralı.
Newroz is the name of the common struggle of the peoples of the Middle East against oppressive forces. In his message sent from Imralı, Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan emphasized that by renewing the spirit of Newroz, freedom would be brought to the Middle East. During this Newroz, the brotherhood of peoples and their joint struggle emerged as a central demand and slogan. If a struggle is carried out against international and regional hegemonic powers through the unity and joint struggle of peoples, then the spirit and culture of Newroz will become the shared culture of all Middle Eastern peoples. The Middle East will leave its mark on the 21st century as a cradle of democracy and freedom. With the spirit and enthusiasm of Newroz 2026, all peoples of the Middle East (Kurds, Turks, Arabs, Persians, Circassians, Muslims, and Christians) will attain democracy and freedom.
Source: Yeni Yaşam