Syrian Kurds Return to Afrin, Celebrate Nowruz After Years in Exile

Nowruz celebrated in Afrin as displaced Kurds return

Hundreds of Kurdish residents who fled Afrin after a 2018 Turkish offensive have returned and marked Nowruz in villages such as al-Basouta, lighting torches, waving Kurdish flags and taking part in traditional dances. The festivities were the first for many since their exile and came after a government decree making Nowruz a national holiday; participants even used flames to spell out “raperin” (Kurdish for “uprising”). Returnees described a mix of joy at being back in their homes and a sense of emptiness because many former neighbors remain abroad or were replaced by other displaced Syrians.

The renewed festivities follow a political turn in which a deal between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces has led to integration of fighters into national structures and measures expanding Kurdish rights, including recognition of Kurdish as an official language and restoration of citizenship for thousands. While celebrations in Afrin were largely peaceful, unrest erupted elsewhere after images showed a man removing the Syrian flag in Kobani; reports of vandalism, attacks and an Afrin curfew followed as authorities and SDF figures urged calm, as reported by AP News