Top Kurdish officials send celebratory Akitu messages

01-04-2022
Julian Bechocha @JBechocha
A+ A-

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Top leaders from the Kurdistan Region have sent celebratory messages to the Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac community in the Kurdistan Region on the occasion of Akitu, the Assyrian-Babylonian New Year.

The Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac community in the Kurdistan Region and all over the world on Friday are celebrating Akitu, the world's oldest holiday, a festival that marks the revival of nature in the spring and is dedicated to the rebirth of the god Marduk and his victory when he created the world out of chaos.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani offered his "warmest congratulations" to the community. 

"On this occasion, we reiterate that the Kurdistan Region will remain the land of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and tolerance among faiths, nations and communities, preserving multiculturalism and harmony in Kurdistan," he said. 

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also sent his regards to the Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac community, emphasizing "the importance of peaceful coexistence between all the different constituents of the Kurdistan Region."  

Large festivities typically take place in the community's ancestral homeland of the Nineveh Plains and Duhok, as well as other areas where the community has a presence. 

Many celebrate Akitu, also known as Kha b-Nisan, by wearing traditional costumes and holding parties with food, music, and dancing.

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani also shared his remarks, assuring the "Assyrian Chaldean Syriac brothers and sisters that the principles of humanity unite us and that our destiny, happiness, and sorrow are linked to each other," while stressing the need to maintain the principle of coexistence. 

 

Comments

Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.

To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.

We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.

Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.

Post a comment

Required
Required
 

The Latest

Yazidis celebrating their New Year on the eve of the feast in Sheikhan district of Kurdistan Region's Duhok province on April 14, 2026. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/Rudaw

Kurdish leaders renew support for Yazidis in New Year messages

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region’s leader issued congratulatory messages on the occasion of Yazidi New Year on Wednesday, adding that they will remain supportive of the community. The ethnoreligious group has suspended public ceremonies for the occasion, citing regional instability.