DOSSIER – THE KURDISH SUN
The sun, the symbol on the transnational Kurdish flag, does not stand just for the hope of one day seeing the sun rise over their country. It is primarily a reference to Zoroastrianism, the pre-Islamic culture and religion with which the Kurds of every land feel a primeval bond, stronger than the bond with Islam, the religion and culture that has since occupied its lands by force.
The most important festival of the Kurdish year, the New Year (Nowruz, “the new day”), falls on the spring solstice and is directly related to Zoroaster. This strong cultural connection with an extremely distant past (we are currently in the year 2718 on the Kurdish calendar) predates the concept of nation and Islam as a religion and power, and has helped to set the Kurds apart from the neighbouring populations that have unsuccessfully tried to annex them militarily, bureaucratically and demographically.
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