Newroz 2027: the Kurdish New Year on 21 March, and flying home for it

Newroz 2027 falls on Sunday 21 March. It is the Kurdish New Year and the first day of spring, celebrated with fires on the evening before, with music and dance, and with days out in the green hills. For many families in Europe it is also one of the moments in the year to fly home. This guide explains the date and the meaning, describes how Kurdistan celebrates, and shows which direct flights land in time. Newroz pîroz be!

When is Newroz 2027?

Newroz is on 21 March, at the start of spring. In 2027 that is a Sunday. Most celebrations begin on the evening of Saturday 20 March, when the fires are lit, and continue on the day itself.

In Başûr, Newroz is a public holiday, and the days around it are used for family visits and trips into the countryside. In Bakur and in the diaspora, large gatherings are often held on 21 March itself or on the nearest weekend. With Newroz on a Sunday in 2027, the weekend of 20 and 21 March will be the heart of it almost everywhere.

What Newroz means: the new day, the fire and Kawa

The word says it: nû is new, roj is day. Newroz is the new day, the moment winter gives way to spring and the year begins again.

The story behind the fire is the legend of Kawa the blacksmith. A cruel king, Dehak, ruled the land, and spring would not come. Kawa rose against him, ended his rule, and lit a fire on the mountain to tell the people they were free. Spring returned with that fire. That is why Kurds light fires on the eve of Newroz, and why jumping over the flames, torches on the mountains and the colours of spring belong to the day.

For many Kurds, Newroz is more than a new year. It is a celebration of renewal, of community and of the Kurdish language and culture, shared by Kurds in all four parts of Kurdistan and around the world.

How Kurdistan celebrates

There is no single way to celebrate Newroz. Every city and every village has its own customs, but four places and traditions stand out.

Akrê: torches on the mountain

Akrê, a small town in Başûr built against a mountainside, is known as the town of Newroz. On the eve, long lines of people carry burning torches up the slopes above the town, until the mountain is covered with points of fire. It is one of the most photographed Newroz scenes in the world.

Amed: one of the largest gatherings

Amed hosts one of the largest Newroz gatherings anywhere. Every year very large crowds come together in the open air, in festive clothes, for music and the govend, the circle dance in which hundreds of people join hands. Many Kurdish families in Germany have their roots in Bakur, and for them Amed is the obvious place to be.

Hewlêr and Silêmanî: fires and picnics in the hills

In Hewlêr, Silêmanî and the towns around them, fires burn on hilltops and in neighbourhoods on the evening of 20 March. On the day itself and the days after, families head out to the green hills with blankets, tea and food, and spend the day outdoors. In late March the hills are at their greenest, and the weather is usually mild.

In the diaspora

In Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and elsewhere, Kurdish communities hold their own Newroz celebrations, in halls, parks and city squares, often on the weekend closest to 21 March. For many young Kurds in Europe this is their Newroz; for others it is the reason to fly home and see the fires in Kurdistan for once.

Flying home for Newroz 2027

If you want to celebrate Newroz in Kurdistan, plan the flight early. March 2027 is a crowded month for travel to Kurdistan, for two reasons.

Eid al-Fitr and Newroz in the same month

In 2027 Eid al-Fitr is expected around 9 or 10 March, depending on the sighting of the moon. Newroz follows on 21 March. That puts two of the busiest travel moments of the year within two weeks of each other. Some families combine the two in one longer visit, so return flights at the end of March can be busy too.

What that means in practice: look at the fares now, compare a few departure days, and do not wait for a last-minute deal. On routes with only a few direct flights a week, a single full flight can leave you without a direct option for days.

The direct flights that run in March

Until Saturday 27 March 2027 the winter timetable applies, so the direct routes of this winter are the ones that count for Newroz. These are the direct flights from Europe in the current timetable.

To Hewlêr. For Fly Erbil the days are the days the flight lands in Hewlêr.

From	Airline	Days
Düsseldorf	Fly Erbil	Tue, Thu, Sun
Hannover	Fly Erbil	Mon, Thu
Amsterdam	Fly Erbil	Fri
Stuttgart	Fly Erbil	Wed, Sat
Cologne/Bonn	Fly Erbil	Tue, Sat
Copenhagen	Fly Erbil	Wed, Sun
Berlin	Fly Erbil	Mon
Düsseldorf	Eurowings	varies
Stuttgart	Eurowings	varies

To Silêmanî. Condor from Düsseldorf on Tuesdays and Fridays.

To Amed. SunExpress from Hannover on Mondays and Thursdays and from Düsseldorf on Sundays; Pegasus from Cologne/Bonn on Fridays.

With the fires on the evening of Saturday 20 March, the flights on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 March are the ones most people will want, and they are likely to fill up first. On routes that only fly on Sunday or Monday, you either travel a week earlier or arrive after the day itself. Timetables can still change before March, so check the day of your flight again when you book. The page with all direct flights lists every route.

From the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway and North America there is no direct flight, and you change once, usually in Constantinople, Doha or Amman. On those routes, too, the days around Newroz fill up early.

Live fares from your city: flights to Hewlêr, flights to Amed and flights to Silêmanî.

Newroz pîroz be: greetings in Kurmancî and Soranî

The greeting you will hear everywhere is short:

• Kurmancî: Newroz pîroz be! (happy Newroz). The usual answer is Ya te jî pîroz be!, yours too.
• Soranî: Newroztan pîroz bê!, in Soranî script نەورۆزتان پیرۆز بێت.

The greeting is used from the eve until well after the day itself. If you write to family who live in Kurdistan, sending it in their own dialect is appreciated.

March is also a good month to be in Kurdistan for the weather: afternoons around 19 °C in Hewlêr, green hills and wildflowers, with a chance of rain. Our guide to Erbil weather by month has the details per city, and our guide to Erbil Airport lists all direct flights to Hewlêr by day of the week.