LONDON - Hoba Saleh’s regal, yellow coat skimmed the ground as she danced arm-in-arm with a group of about 40 Kurds and non-Kurds at one of London’s most popular tourist attractions. In the bright, blinding, early spring sunshine, the jewels on Salah’s coat reflected the light, as she and others took part in an early celebration of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year.
“I came out to have fun and to help people get to know the Kurdish culture and the Kurdish people,” she told Rudaw.
Saleh, a 24-year old Londoner, is a member of Secret Newroz, an organization recently founded by her brother, Hardy. The group used social media exclusively to spread the word about a flash mob at Trafalgar Square last Saturday. Their message: Kurds and non-Kurds, come one, come all to dance to methodical music together for just 20 or 30 minutes – enough time to gather a crowd, get people dancing and interest them in Kurdish culture.
At 25, Hardy Saleh directs short, observational documentaries by day, and came up with the idea for Secret Newroz a few months ago, at the London Kurdish Film Festival in November.
“I wanted to promote Kurdistan, the Kurdish people, the beautiful things we do, the clothes we wear to the people of London. This is my first event ever,” he explained.
It may have been his first, but it was a success. Moments after an elderly Kurdish man announced the start of the celebration with the bang of the dahol, or traditional bass drum, women and men in Kurdish and western clothing stood shoulder-to-shoulder, encircling the drummer, as the zurna player trumpeted his horn to a slow but rhythmic blend of Kurdish, Turkish and Middle Eastern music.
In her floor-length, teal dress, embroidered with silken, gold flowers, Londoner Harmen Yones wore an old stone necklace from Iraqi Kurdistan as she took part in the dance, hoping to enlighten people about her culture.
“When you say, ‘I’m from Kurdistan,’ people don’t have a clue where that is. Hopefully, they’ll see what our traditional clothes are like and they might learn more about the New Year and our culture. We wear lots of jewellery for the holiday, the more, the better!”
Yones is one of the estimated 200,000 Kurds living in London who will gather with friends and family on Friday, March 21, for one of the most important dates on the Kurdish calendar.
“It’s about the cultural community thing. The traditional way is to start a big fire with everyone circling around and going on picnics for three days in a row. But here, we’ll gather for mini-parties, playing Kurdish music, eating traditional food -- rice and dolma and baklawa, and of course we like our tea. It’s a celebration of being Kurdish.”
Fidan Keleh, a member of the Kurdish Diaspora in France, moved to London last month. She’s used to seeing events like this one in Paris and Strasbourg.
“It’s a good way to preserve and share our culture. You can hear us; see us, the way we dance.”
Several onlookers were familiar with Kurds and Kurdistan from experiences living in other European cities. Fahad Al Sulami, from Saudi Arabia, fondly recalled regular community events in Frankfurt.
“I saw these celebrations in Frankfurt, where I came to love the Kurdish music. I even watch it on TV. The way they dance is so beautiful. It’s a good way to let people know what you’re about.”
Hardy Saleh says London’s Kurds need to take a cue from communities like those in Germany and France, who host public gatherings.
“These kinds of events are lacking in this country... a very simple, non-political occasion where people can get involved and have a good time. There is definitely a strong community, but we could do more, and I hope events like today might spur people on. We plan to do more low-key stuff like this. Our name is Secret Newroz, so it’s probably best if I don’t say what just yet.”
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