KNC: Ignoring Newroz Contradicts Syrians’ Aspiration for a State of Freedom

ARK News.. The Kurdish National Council (KNC) issued a statement criticizing the recent presidential decree by Transitional Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, which defined Syria’s official holidays while omitting national celebrations belonging to the country’s ethnic components — most notably the Kurdish Newroz festival.

The statement, released on October 6, 2025, coincided with the parliamentary elections held the previous day. The Council said that the decree, along with the broader conduct of the transitional administration in Damascus, "does not reflect the spirit of change nor the goals of the political transition long sought by the Syrian people."

KNC pointed out that the constitutional declaration failed to recognize Syria’s multi ethnic identity or the particularity of the Kurdish people, despite repeated calls for its amendment. It condemned the omission of Newroz — "the national festival of the Kurdish people, which decades of repression and dictatorship could not suppress." The Council emphasized that Kurds have made great sacrifices defending their right to celebrate this day, which symbolizes freedom and peace and has been recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2010 as a global Heritage Day representing liberation and cultural continuity.

The statement also criticized the exclusion of Akito, the Assyrian-Babylonian spring festival celebrating renewal and fertility, as well as Yazidi holidays, describing such omissions as a disregard for Syria’s civilizational and cultural diversity.

“The neglect of Newroz and other national holidays contradicts the aspirations of Syrians for the state of freedom they have long struggled for,” the Council said. “The national duty requires revisiting this decree and including the holidays of all Syrian components as an expression of their distinct identities and their collective national belonging.”

October 6, 2025
General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council in Syria

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