A large group of people joined hands and danced together inside a packed hall at the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg on Saturday for a Nowruz event celebrating Kurdish culture and welcoming the coming of spring.  

Nowruz — meaning “new day” in Farsi — is also known as the Persian New Year, which falls on the first day of spring. It’s celebrated across many cultures and communities in the Middle East and Central Asia, including by Kurdish people living in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. 

Saturday’s Nowruz celebration was organized by the Kurdish Forum in Manitoba. The group says Nowruz is one of the most important holidays in Kurdish culture, symbolizing hope and new beginnings. 

This year, Nowruz aligns with Eid and Kurdish mother’s day, said Zainab Jarkas, who was at the Winnipeg celebration alongside her mother and her daughter on Saturday.

Jarkas, who is originally from Syria and has been living in Canada for a decade, travelled from Arborg, Man., to be there. 

“This is a special day for Kurdish [people],” said Jarkas.

She said spring is in full swing back home in Syria, with flowers blooming and people celebrating outside. Nowruz became a public holiday in Syria in 2026, after being banned under the Assad regime. 

Her daughter Zozan Jarkas said one of her favourite parts of Nowruz is building a fire at home the night before and dancing around it with family and friends.  

“We’re so excited that we’re here today, we’re celebrating. We never forget about it, it’s our culture. And we’re so glad for Canada that we’re able to do that,” she said.

Omran Zahrab, who is also from Syria and spent years as a refugee in Iraq before moving to Manitoba in 2018, said there was a warm spring spirit inside the museum hall despite the chilly Winnipeg weather outside. 

“Gathering is very important, sharing or celebrating together. I can see all people from the four parts of Kurdistan [Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey] how they are enthusiastic about gathering today and celebrating,” Zahrab said, adding that celebrations across the regions are largely similar, despite some variations in clothing, food and language. 

He said meeting Kurdish people here in Manitoba has helped build a sense of belonging across the local community, no matter what region people are originally from. 

“We can see the other Kurdish areas’ culture … I have been meeting many Kurdish people from Iran or from Turkey or from Iraq, which add something to my experience here,” he said. 

Shahram Sahraei, who is from the city of Saqqez in Iran’s Kurdistan province, said he grew up celebrating Nowruz, which has become a political symbol for Kurdish people across the region. 

“It’s important, it’s a symbol for us. It has become a part of our identity, because we have been affected because of a lot of oppressions from the central governments in Tehran, in Ankara, in Baghdad or in Damascus,” Sahraei said. 

He said his hometown had been “bombarded significantly” at the outset of the ongoing war in Iran, but his family told him they were safe and were celebrating Nowruz with loved ones on Friday. He said the festival helps people remain “strong in this difficult situation.”

While most of his family is back in Iran, Sahraei said Saturday’s gathering felt like home. 

“When we celebrate in Manitoba here, it takes us back to our home country, our childhood, nostalgia. It’s cultural and it’s important to us as well,” he said. 

“It takes me back to my home country, hometown. I feel like I’m with my family again.”