In Akre, people celebrate a different kind of Newroz – the traditional Kurdish New Year Celebration. On March, 20 every young boy in Akre climbs on top of the Akre mountain bearing lit-up torches, and then rushes down and back to the city, running through the alleys to gather in Sare Gree where traditional Kurdish dances are held at midnight. This year’s Newroz has been named by Kurds the Newroz of Resistance, since the peshmergas, the Kurdish Army, are right now fighting against ISIS, the terrorist group that aims to create an Islamic State across Iraq and Syria. More than 70 people killed by ISIS were coming from Akre, including Hujam Surchi, the first peshmerga being executed by ISIS.
