The hall was packed before the music started. Families arrived in traditional Kurdish clothing, children were already running between tables, and the smell of food being carried in from the kitchen was making everyone impatient for the evening to begin. KASA’s Newroz 2026 celebration drew one of the largest crowds in recent memory — a reminder that, whatever else is happening in any given year, March 21st brings Kurdish Americans together.

The evening opened with a brief program: words from KASA leadership, a short performance by children from our language program who recited a Kurmanji poem they had learned together, and a moment to light the symbolic Newroz fire. Then the music started and the halay formed, and it did not really stop until late in the evening. The chain dance stretched the full length of the room at its longest, connecting grandparents and toddlers in the same moving line.

The food tables, organized by volunteer families who prepared dishes from different Kurdish regions, were cleared well before midnight. That is always the truest measure of a successful Newroz: the food is gone, the music was good, and people are still talking in the parking lot when it is time to go home. Thank you to every volunteer, donor, and community member who made this celebration happen.