Nowruz Declared National Holiday in Syria

Syria’s interim president Ahmed Sharaa has declared Nowruz a public holiday, recognising the spring festival and aiming to strengthen national unity and cultural inclusion.

Syria’s interim president Ahmed Sharaa has declared Nowruz a national holiday, marking a rare symbolic move to recognise cultural diversity in the war-scarred country.

In a decree issued on Friday, January 16, Sharaa described Nowruz as a symbol of renewal, spring and social cohesion, ordering a nationwide public holiday to be observed annually.

The announcement comes as Syria seeks to rebuild a sense of national unity after more than a decade of conflict that fractured state institutions and deepened ethnic and political divisions.

Nowruz, an ancient festival marking the Persian New Year, is widely celebrated across the region, including in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and among Kurdish communities in Syria, though it had never been officially recognised by the Syrian state.

Syria’s Kurds, who make up an estimated 10% of the population, have long complained of political exclusion and restrictions on cultural expression, particularly under previous governments.

In a separate decree, Sharaa formally recognised the rights of Syrian Kurds and approved Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic, allowing schools to teach the language for the first time.

The decree also acknowledged Kurdish identity as an integral part of Syria’s national fabric, a move analysts say could ease long-standing grievances if implemented effectively.

However, uncertainty remains as talks between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on integrating Kurdish-run administrations into state institutions have yet to produce a clear outcome.

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