Angra Mainyu, the demonic anti-thesis of Ahura Mazda, was defied by Zoroastrians with a big fire every year, which symbolized their defiance of and hatred for evil and the arch-demon.

The root of this story goes back to ancient Iranian legends, retold in General History by scientist Dinawari,[15] The Meadows of Gold by Muslim historian Masudi,[16] the Shahnameh, a poetic opus written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi around 1000 AD, and the Sharafnameh by the medieval Kurdish historian Sherefxan Bidlisi.

[18] Zahak's rule lasted for one thousand years; his evil reign caused spring to no longer come to Kurdistan.

[21] The 12th century geographer Yaqoot Hamawi mentions Zor (Zur[21]), son of Zahhak (Aji Dahak), as founder of the famous city of Sharazor.

[7] He connected the myths where people felt oppressed with Newroz, thus reviving a dying holiday and making it a symbol of the Kurdish national struggle.

[7][23] Newroz is considered the most important festival in Kurdish culture, and is a time for entertainment such as games, dancing, family gathering, preparation of special foods and the reading of poetry.

[24] The 17th century Kurdish poet Ahmad Khani mentions in one of his poems how the people, youth and elderly, leave their houses and gather in countryside to celebrate Newroz.

The Kurdish association with Newroz has become increasingly pronounced since the 1950s when the Kurds in the Middle East and those in the diaspora in Europe started adopting it as a tradition.

[8] Previous to it being legalized, the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, had chosen the date of the Newroz festival to stage attacks to obtain publicity for their cause;[8][34] this led to Turkish forces detaining thousands of people who were seen as supporters of the Kurdish rebel movements.

[45] The Saitama prefectural parks and greenery association in the north of Tokyo, were denied Kurdish refugees permittion to hold Newroz celebrations in that city.

They told The Asahi Shimbun that they were pressured by unknown people by phone and email to reject the request of the Kurds; for this reason, the association director withheld permission for the festival citing the possibility that protesters might show up and cause trouble at the park.

[47] One of the earliest records of Newroz in Kurdish literature is from Melayê Cizîrî (1570–1640):[48] Without the light and the fire of Love, Without the Designer and the power of Creator, We are not able to reach Union.

The sun is shining from the high mountains of homeland It is the blood of our martyrs which the horizon reflects It has never happened in the history of any nation To have the breasts of girls as shields against bullets Nay.