Akitu: Assyrian New Year in Duhok

Assyrian New Year, also known as Kha b’Nissan, or Akitu, is an ancient celebration, dating back thousands of years. It is one of the oldest recorded New Year celebrations in history. 

The festival marks the Spring Equinox, and symbolises the start of new life. 

In its beginnings, Akitu was a religious and agricultural festival lasting for twelve days, celebrating the renewal of the Earth’s fertility. 

Today, Akitu is celebrated annually on the 1st of April, amongst various Iraqi communities such as the Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian communities across Iraq, particularly in Duhok, northern Iraq.

The celebrations, which have drawn crowds of 30,000 in previous years, feature parades and traditional dances and performances which tells stories of the legacy of ancient Babylonian and Assyrian civilisations.

This year, thousands of Assyrian’s from Iraq and across the diaspora attended the festivities in Duhok, proudly waving the Assyrian flag, which features two stripes, representing Iraq’s Euphrates and Tigris rivers.