Kha b-Nisan
Encyclopedia
Kha b' Nisan or Ha b' Nisin, also Ha b' Nison; "First of April", Resha d'Sheta; "Head of the year" in Syriac, also known as Akitu
, or Assyrian New Year is the spring festival among the Assyrians
, celebrated on 1 April.
However, in addition to the traditional Assyrian New Year on April 1, all Assyrians also celebrate the Gregorian calendar
New Year
on January 1 along with the rest of the world.
Celebrations involve parades and parties. Some Assyrians wear traditional costume and dance in parks for hours. In Europe
, the United States
and Canada
, there are often parties with food, music and dance.
, the vernal equinox moved gradually away from 21 March. The Gregorian calendar
reform restored the vernal equinox to its original date, but since the festival was by now tied to the date, not the astronomical event, Kha b' Nisan remains fixed at 21 March in the Julian reckoning, corresponding to 1 April in the Gregorian calendar. The Vernal equinox is celebrated throughout Greater Iran
as Noruz meaning "New Day" on 21 March. However, in the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian traditions, the spring festival was celebrated in the first days of the month known as "Nisan" and the calendar adopted by the ancient Assyrians had the month "Nisan" at the beginning of the calendar lending to the term "Kha b' Nisan", or the "first of Nisan".
In the 1950s, rising interest in Assyrianism
resulted in the creation of an official "Assyrian calendar
" with its era
fixed at 4750 BC, inspired by an estimate of the date of the first temple at Ashur
in the Middle Ubaid period
.
In the same spirit, the Akkadian name of the spring festival, Akitu
, was revived. It is essential to consider that the Assyrian people have generally celebrated Akitu
on the first day of April since 4750 BC and that a creation of an official calender would aim to unite the Assyrians in their nationalism.
The event is also largely celebrated by Assyrians residing in Syria. Although the Syrian government does not acknowledge the festival, Assyrians still continue with the celebration. In 2002, Assyrians in Syria celebrated the event with a mass wedding of 16 couples and over 25,000 attendees. After the formation of the Turkish state
, Kha b' Nisan along with the Noruz were banned from public to celebrate. Assyrians in Turkey were first allowed to publicly celebrate Kha b' Nisan in 2005, after organisers received permission from the government to stage the event, in light of democratic reforms adopted in support of Turkey's EU membership bid. Around 5,000 people "including large groups of visiting ethnic Assyrians from Europe, Syria and Iraq" took part in the Kha b' Nisan celebrations.
One of the largest Assyrian New Year celebration took place in Iraq in 2008. Public celebrations were not allowed by Saddam Hussein
's regime prior to the start of the Iraq war. The event was organized by the Assyrian Democratic Movement
and between 45,000 to 65,000 people took part in the parade.
In 2004, Hon. George Radanovich
of the California House of Representatives recognized the Assyrian New Year and extended his wishes to the Assyrian community in California. This was later followed by a letter from the California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger
, to the Assyrian community in California congratulating them on the annual celebration.
It has also become tradition to hold a parade down King Sargon Blvd in Chicago
, Illinois
, with the Assyrian organizations, churches, and sometimes businesses, each creating a float and participating in the parade.
It is a tradition in Assyrian villages for girls to gather flowers and herbs which are then suspended under the house's roof. The bunches are referred to as "Deqna d' Nisan", meaning "beard of April/Spring".
Akitu
Akitu was a spring festival in ancient Mesopotamia....
, or Assyrian New Year is the spring festival among the Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
, celebrated on 1 April.
However, in addition to the traditional Assyrian New Year on April 1, all Assyrians also celebrate the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
on January 1 along with the rest of the world.
Celebrations involve parades and parties. Some Assyrians wear traditional costume and dance in parks for hours. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, there are often parties with food, music and dance.
History
In the Julian calendarJulian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
, the vernal equinox moved gradually away from 21 March. The Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
reform restored the vernal equinox to its original date, but since the festival was by now tied to the date, not the astronomical event, Kha b' Nisan remains fixed at 21 March in the Julian reckoning, corresponding to 1 April in the Gregorian calendar. The Vernal equinox is celebrated throughout Greater Iran
Greater Iran
Greater Iran refers to the regions that have significant Iranian cultural influence. It roughly corresponds to the territory on the Iranian plateau and its bordering plains, stretching from Iraq, the Caucasus, and Turkey in the west to the Indus River in the east...
as Noruz meaning "New Day" on 21 March. However, in the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian traditions, the spring festival was celebrated in the first days of the month known as "Nisan" and the calendar adopted by the ancient Assyrians had the month "Nisan" at the beginning of the calendar lending to the term "Kha b' Nisan", or the "first of Nisan".
In the 1950s, rising interest in Assyrianism
Assyrianism
The term Assyrianism refers to Assyrian nationalism which increased in popularity in the late 19th century in a climate of increasing ethnic and religious persecution of the indigenous Assyrians of the Middle East....
resulted in the creation of an official "Assyrian calendar
Assyrian calendar
The Assyrian calendar is a lunar-based calendar that begins in the year 4750 BC, inspired by an estimate of the date of the first temple at Ashur, notably based on a series of articles published in the Assyrian magazine Gilgamesh, edited by the brothers Addi and Jean Alkhas and Nimrod Simono. The...
" with its era
Calendar era
A calendar era is the year numbering system used by a calendar. For example, the Gregorian calendar numbers its years in the Western Christian era . The instant, date, or year from which time is marked is called the epoch of the era...
fixed at 4750 BC, inspired by an estimate of the date of the first temple at Ashur
Ashur
Ashur |Shin]]) in the Masoretic text, which doubles the 'ש'), was the second son of Shem, the son of Noah. Ashur's brothers were Elam, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram....
in the Middle Ubaid period
Ubaid period
The Ubaid period is a prehistoric period of Mesopotamia. The tell of al-`Ubaid west of nearby Ur in southern Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate has given its name to the prehistoric Pottery Neolithic to Chalcolithic culture, which represents the earliest settlement on the alluvial plain of southern...
.
In the same spirit, the Akkadian name of the spring festival, Akitu
Akitu
Akitu was a spring festival in ancient Mesopotamia....
, was revived. It is essential to consider that the Assyrian people have generally celebrated Akitu
Akitu
Akitu was a spring festival in ancient Mesopotamia....
on the first day of April since 4750 BC and that a creation of an official calender would aim to unite the Assyrians in their nationalism.
The event is also largely celebrated by Assyrians residing in Syria. Although the Syrian government does not acknowledge the festival, Assyrians still continue with the celebration. In 2002, Assyrians in Syria celebrated the event with a mass wedding of 16 couples and over 25,000 attendees. After the formation of the Turkish state
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Kha b' Nisan along with the Noruz were banned from public to celebrate. Assyrians in Turkey were first allowed to publicly celebrate Kha b' Nisan in 2005, after organisers received permission from the government to stage the event, in light of democratic reforms adopted in support of Turkey's EU membership bid. Around 5,000 people "including large groups of visiting ethnic Assyrians from Europe, Syria and Iraq" took part in the Kha b' Nisan celebrations.
One of the largest Assyrian New Year celebration took place in Iraq in 2008. Public celebrations were not allowed by Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's regime prior to the start of the Iraq war. The event was organized by the Assyrian Democratic Movement
Assyrian Democratic Movement
The Assyrian Democratic Movement also known as Zowaa is an ethnic Assyrian political party in Iraq, and is currently the only Assyrian-based political party to be voting in the Iraqi parliament....
and between 45,000 to 65,000 people took part in the parade.
In 2004, Hon. George Radanovich
George Radanovich
George Purdy Radanovich is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 to 2011. The district includes most of northern Fresno, as well as several rural areas northeast of the city. On December 29, 2009, Radanovich announced he would not seek reelection in 2010...
of the California House of Representatives recognized the Assyrian New Year and extended his wishes to the Assyrian community in California. This was later followed by a letter from the California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, to the Assyrian community in California congratulating them on the annual celebration.
Celebration
Assyrians celebrate Kha b' Nisan by holding social events including parades and parties. They also gather in clubs and social institutions and listen to the poets who recite the story of creation. The men and women wear traditional clothes and dance in parks for hours.It has also become tradition to hold a parade down King Sargon Blvd in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, with the Assyrian organizations, churches, and sometimes businesses, each creating a float and participating in the parade.
It is a tradition in Assyrian villages for girls to gather flowers and herbs which are then suspended under the house's roof. The bunches are referred to as "Deqna d' Nisan", meaning "beard of April/Spring".
External links
- Akitu and Newruz (aina.org)
- Kurd's - Persian New Year; its Assyrian - Babylonian origin (christiansofiraq.com)
- Assyrian NewYear 6758 Ceremony In Tehran (brasheet.com)
- Assyrian NewYear 6758 Ceremony In Urmia (brasheet.com)