Every year on March 21, the Kurds and other peoples across the Middle East celebrate the festival of Nowruz. It marks the beginning of the Kurdish New Year and coincides with the beginning of the Iranian New Year and has begun to carry symbolic significance for Iraqi Kurds.

Nowruz day (New Year’s Day) is the first day of the solar Hijri calendar (March 21) and is celebrated by Persians, Kurds and Turks alike. Nowruz is a Farsi word, with “Now-” meaning new, and “-ruz” meaning “morning light” signifying the coming of a new day.

Previously, the Kurds of Iraq celebrated this holiday and lit the flame of Nowruz by setting fire to rubber tires — something that was detrimental to the environment. Nowadays, Kurds use Nowruz as an opportunity to showcase Kurdish heritage, folklore, language and dress. The celebration aims to boost tourism and each year new events are added, while the tradition of the flame of Nowruz is kept alive, though firewood and fireworks have replaced burning tires.

According to the General Authority for Tourism Statistics in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, more than 150,000 tourists came to the Kurdistan Region during the days of Nowruz.