Akre – Dark clouds hung over Akre on Friday evening as the town celebrated Newroz, the Kurdish new year festival. As dusk settled, dozens of men holding flaming torches ran up Kele, the mountain above the town. The sound of gunfire and exploding fireworks echoed through the valley as the procession of torches snaked up the zig zag path to the top of the mountain, passing a 60 metre long Kurdish flag on the way. The ancient festival which marks the spring equinox has become a symbol of Kurdish unity and their struggle for freedom. Legend tells that on this day, a blacksmith named Kawa delivered the Kurds from a tyrant and then set fire the hillsides in celebration. With the tyranny of the Islamic State threatening the Kurdistan region, celebrations have been smaller this year than others. On Thursday evening footage was released of Kurdish-speaking members of the Islamic State decapitating three members of the Peshmerga. In response Barham Salih, the former prime minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) declared Saturday's celebration would be a "Newroz of defiance." The KRG cancelled official celebrations this year though, out of respect to those who have lost family members in the war against ISIS. KRG spokesman Safeen Dizayee said: “The public are free to celebrate though and they will celebrate. It will not be giving in to the will of ISIL [an alternative name for IS].” With large numbers of men away at the frontlines, the celebrations in Akre were subdued compared to previous years. Watching the fireworks from a hil overlooking the town, Kawa Akrei, a 20 year old Kurd who recently returned home from living in Australia said: “It's quiet, everyone's away fighting.” His friend Ahmed Zebari said he wouldn't let IS stop them from celebrating. “They screwed up our life here, if it wasn't for them we would be on our way to being an independent country by now.” Many in Akre said it was more important than ever to commemorate Newroz. “Every year we celebrate, even in the hard years,” said Haghar Rashid, a government accountant. “It's important because Newroz symbolizes freedom.” Others decided not to celebrate this year. Shivan Fazel, a researcher at Kurdish think thank Middle East Research Institute, said the recent IS video had convinced many people to stay indoors. Fazel said his family had decided not to go out on Friday out of respect of those who had died. “I think this will be the feeling of a lot of people,” he said. Marking the beginning of spring, Newroz also symbolizes new beginnings Fazel pointed out. With a number of dark events in Kurdish history falling in the first weeks of March – such as former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's 1988 chemical gas attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja – the arrival of Newroz meant better times ahead for many Kurds. Dizayee said he hoped this would be the case this year. “We hope that this Newroz will be another victory over tyranny and the dark forces of ISIL.”
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