Nevruz Festival Turkey

Newroz (or Nevruz in Turkish) means “new day” and derives from the Old Persian words nava (new) and razaŋh (daylight or day), still used in modern Persian as Nowruz. It marks the vernal equinox (March 21)—when day and night are equal—and symbolizes the rebirth of nature, light, fertility, and the new year across a vast cultural geography.

Though often mistakenly reduced to an ethnic or national tradition, Newroz is not specific to any one people. It is a transcultural celebration observed for centuries by peoples across Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Balkans—from Persians and Kurds to Turks, Azeris, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Georgians, Afghans, and Albanians. This diversity is reflected in its local names: Novruz (Azerbaijan), Nowruz (Turkmen), Nooruz (Kyrgyz), Navrız (Kazakh), Navruz (Uzbek), Navrez (Crimean Tatar), and Mevriz (Western Thrace Turks).

In 2009, UNESCO included Newroz in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and in 2010, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared March 21 as the “International Day of Nowruz”, recognising it as a global celebration of renewal and cultural diversity.

The celebration has different mythological roots across communities:

• Among Kurds, Newroz is linked to the epic of Kawa the Blacksmith. According to the tale, a tyrant king named Zuhak (or Dehak) ruled with two serpents on his shoulders, demanding the brains of Kurdish children as food for his serpents. Kawa, a blacksmith whose children were among the victims, led a rebellion and killed Zuhak on March 20, lighting fires atop hills to signal freedom. The next day, spring arrived. The tale is deeply embedded in Kurdish oral tradition and collective memory, representing both natural and political liberation.
• In Turkic traditions, Newroz is associated with the Ergenekon Epic, in which the ancient Turks escape from a mountainous valley by melting iron. This legend symbolises the rebirth and resilience of the Turkic people. On March 21, the Turks commemorate this escape by heating iron and striking it on an anvil—an enduring national metaphor for renewal and strength.

These mythological motifs—rebellion, liberation, emergence, and spring—link Newroz to themes of survival, identity, and unity across cultures.