Where fire dances and defiance lives

Kurds hail the start of spring, celebrating the Newroz holiday in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkiye, on March 21, 2026. The ancient holiday came at a critical time this year for the Kurdish ethnic minority in Turkiye, as they push for peace while their brethren in Syria and Iran fear further conflict. — Rena Effendi/The New York Times

FLAMES from a giant bonfire rose towards the sky. The ground rumbled underfoot as men pounded drums and women and men clasped hands and line danced to the beat.

Surrounded by tens of thousands of people who had braved rain, mud and multiple police pat-downs to celebrate the Kurdish holiday of Newroz in the city of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkiye on March 21, a former teacher waxed poetic about the day’s importance.