Marking New Year during Ramadan
Duhok culture directorate encourages quiet Newroz celebrations at home
DUHOK — Residents of Duhok are being encouraged to light candles at home to celebrate Newroz this year, in a proposal from the city’s Directorate of Culture on observing the Kurdish new year during Ramadan.
The suggestion comes as Newroz, the Kurdish new year marking the beginning of spring, coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Traditionally, Newroz festivities are exuberant daytime celebrations featuring dancing and elaborate picnics, while Ramadan is a period of fasting, prayer, and reflection, typically observed with a more subdued approach.
Hassan Fatah, spokesperson for Duhok’s General Directorate of Culture and Arts, explained the reasoning behind the candle-lighting proposal. “To ensure that residents of Duhok do not miss out on Newroz this year, each household can light a candle to mark the occasion,” Fatah told 964media.
The proposal also addresses environmental concerns, as bonfires traditionally lit on nearby mountains pose a fire risk.
Lighting candles is seen as a smaller-scale alternative to the customary Newroz fires.
Elsewhere, the regional government announced earlier in March that annual festivities would still be held in Akre, albeit with activities scheduled to begin after the evening call to prayer marking the end of the daily fast.
Akre mayor Bilind Reza Zubair told 964media on March 6 that preparations were underway to accommodate an influx of tourists, including a new Ramadan night market and expansion of viewing platforms where visitors and residents are expected to watch traditional fire processions up the surrounding mountains.
Similar plans were also announced in Sulaymaniyah, including a music concert and other activities, all scheduled to begin after sunset.