Editor’s Note: The original headline of this story indicated that Nowruz was a Kurdish New Year celebration. The headline has since been corrected to reflect that it is a Persian celebration. We regret the error.
Members of Winnipeg’s Kurdish community gathered Saturday evening to celebrate Nowruz.
Nowruz is the traditional Persian new year, celebrated in several countries, and marks the arrival of the spring season. Kurds have been celebrating the occasion in Winnipeg since the 1990s, joined by others around the world.
“All Kurds around the world, especially in Kurdistan, celebrate Nowruz,” said Omran Zahrab, one of the organizers.
Zahrab said it will be a joyous event celebrating culture through song, dance, and food.
“We celebrate freedom, we celebrate peace, we celebrate love with all communities here in Winnipeg,” he said. “We also celebrate and share all these values with communities in Winnipeg.”
He said there are many traditional foods involved with the celebrations, including “rice with chicken with kabob.”