Shafaq News / A Local official revealed that the Kurds in Tuz Khurmatu are celebrating the Newroz holidays outside the district, due to the repercussions of the 2017 referendum.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party's official in the district, Bakhtiar Mohammed, told Shafaq News agency that more than half of Tuz Khumartu's Kurds headed to the Kurdistan Region to celebrate the Newroz, because, since the 2017 referendum, there has not been any celebrations in the area.

However, the deputy commissioner of Tuz Khurmatu said that the residents have organized a major event to celebrate the occasion in the city, noting that a comprehensive plan has been out to secure it.

Kurdish Newroz is the first day of the solar Kurdish calendar. It coincides with the Spring Equinox, and is a festival celebrating the beginning of spring.

Over the years, Newroz has come to represent new beginnings, as well as an opportunity to support the Kurdish cause. For these reasons, Newroz is considered to be the most important festival in Kurdish culture.

To mark the festival, Kurds dress in traditional Kurdish costumes and celebrate outdoors with nature as they perform group dances and participate in the traditional Kurdish dabke dance.