The story
Newroz Celebrations in Afrin in Afrin
Newroz Celebrations in Afrin mark the Kurdish new year on March 21, when families across this Kurdish-majority town northwest of Aleppo gather on hillsides and in courtyards to light bonfires, wear traditional dress, and welcome spring together. After years of conflict, displacement and shifting control over the region, the celebration has become a pointed public assertion of Kurdish language, memory and continuing presence in northern Syria.
Every year on March 21, as the last chill of winter fades from the hills northwest of Aleppo, residents of Afrin build bonfires and gather to mark Newroz, the Kurdish new year.