Nevroz is a holiday. It is a festival. It is the beginning when the earth breathes again, when nature wakes up from its slumber, when people renew the hope in themselves. It is not just a calendar day; it is a state of mind, a resurrection.
Nevroz, the name of a tradition thousands of years old, is a deep-rooted value rooted in the collective memory of the peoples living in this geography. Jumping over the fire, intending a new beginning, feeling reborn with nature... None of these are part of an ideology, but of the common heritage of humanity.
When it comes to Nevroz in this geography, the Kurdish people have a special place. Kurds have been one of the strongest wills that have kept Nevroz alive for centuries, carried it from generation to generation, and kept this tradition alive despite all oppression. That resilience, that enthusiasm and that embrace around the fire is in fact the clearest indication of a people's attachment to its culture, identity and history.
For Kurds, Nevroz is not only the arrival of spring; it is also a symbol of resistance, existence and the preservation of identity. This people, who did not extinguish the Nevroz fire even in the most difficult times, has actually shown us that culture cannot be destroyed by prohibitions. In this respect, Nevroz is not just a holiday in the Kurdish memory, but the name of a stance.
However, the story of Nevroz in Turkey has not been limited to the arrival of spring. For many years, this holiday has been overshadowed by bans, reservations and security concerns. A day when people meet with nature and renew their hopes has occasionally become the center of political tensions.
In the past, bans were perceived as an attempt to suppress not just a day, but a culture. However, no ban can eradicate a tradition that is ingrained in people's hearts. This is exactly what the Nevroz has shown: The more it was banned, the more it was embraced, and the more it was prevented, the stronger it was remembered.
On the other hand, the fact that this ancient tradition has been turned into a political propaganda tool by organizations from time to time has also damaged the essence of Nevroz. Reading a day that is a symbol of spring, peace and brotherhood through tension, separation and polarization has hurt the spirit of Nevroz the most.
However, Nevroz is a value that unites, not divides. It is the common spring for both Turks and Kurds, for everyone living in this land. Just as nature knows no borders, Nevroz has a meaning that transcends identities.
In recent years, there has been a gradual normalization in the approach towards Nevroz celebrations. Allowing it to be celebrated more freely in larger areas is an important step. However, it is still difficult to say that this holiday is fully accepted as natural and free. Nevroz is still a day that is sometimes treated with caution and kept under control.
However, what needs to be done is very clear: Nevroz should not be a day to be feared, it should be given its true meaning. To read this holiday in terms of culture, not security. To see the coming together of people not as a threat, but as a strengthening of social bonds.
Because Nevroz is a day when people gathered around the fire get closer to each other. It is a day when hope is renewed, resentments are forgotten and new beginnings are made.
This culture, which the Kurds have kept alive for centuries, is actually the preservation of a value that belongs to all of us. Therefore, to understand Nevroz is to understand the cultural richness that Kurds have added to this land.
Nevroz, which cannot be prevented by bans or erased by oppression, reminds us of a very simple truth: No one can stop the coming of spring.
And perhaps the most important thing is this:
To truly understand Nevroz is not just to celebrate a day; it is to recall the will to live together.
Newroz pîroz be!
Bi hatina biharê re hêvî şîn bibe, yekîtî û biratîya me xurtir bibe.
Sala nû ji we re tenduristî, aşîtî û bereket bîne.
Happy Nevroz!
With the arrival of spring, let hope flourish and our unity and brotherhood grow stronger.
I wish spring brings health, peace and prosperity.
Newroz pîroz bo!
Bi ameyışê biharî ra hêvî şîn beno, yewkîyayî û birayîya ma zêde bibo.
Sala newe we ra tenduristî, aşîtî û bereket bîyo.
عيد النوروز مبارك!
مع قدوم الربيع تتجددد الآمال، وللتتتعزز وحدتنا وأخوتنا.
نتمنى أن يجلب العام العام الجديد الصحة والسلام والبركة