| Kha b' Nisan | |
|---|---|
 Kha b' Nisan celebration inNahla region | |
| Official name | Syriac:ܚܕ ܒܢܝܣܢ |
| Observed by | Assyrian people |
| Type | Cultural |
| Significance | New Year holiday |
| Date | 1 April |
| Next time | 1 April 2026 (2026-04-01) |
| Related to | Akitu, Seharane,Noruz |
Kha b-Nisan,Ha b-Nisin,[1] orHa b-Nison (Syriac:ܚܕ ܒܢܝܣܢ, "First of April"), also known asResha d-Sheta (Syriac:ܪܫܐ ܕܫܢܬܐ, "Head of the year"),Akitu (ܐܟܝܬܘ), orAssyrian New Year,[2][unreliable source?] is the spring festival among theindigenousAssyrians of northernIraq, northeasternSyria, southeasternTurkey and northwesternIran,[3] celebrated on the first day of April.
The festival has its roots in the ancientMesopotamian religion and its festival ofAkitu, which were practiced by Assyrians until the faith's gradual demise in the face ofSyriac Christianity between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Today, Assyrians are predominantlyChristian,[4] with most being adherents of theAssyrian Church of the East,Chaldean Catholic Church,Syriac Orthodox Church,Syriac Catholic Church,Ancient Church of the East,Assyrian Pentecostal Church andAssyrian Evangelical Church.
Celebrations involveparades andparties. Some Assyrians weartraditional costumes and dance for hours. Celebrations take place throughoutAssyria and other areas in theMiddle East, along with some in theUnited States,Europe,Australia,Canada and theCaucasus amongAssyrian diaspora communities.[5][6] There are often parties withfood,music anddancing.[7][unreliable source?]
_year_6769_(April_1st_2019)_in_Nohadra_(Duhok)_45.jpg)
The month ofNisan was around the time of thevernal equinox, which is around March 21. (In theHebrew calendar, Nisan may start a couple of weeks before the equinox.) Now the name "Nisan" is used for April, so the first of Nisan is April 1. TheVernal equinox is celebrated throughoutGreater Iran asNoruz (meaning "New Day") on 21 March. However, in the ancientAssyrian,Akkadian andBabylonian traditions, the spring festival was celebrated in the first days of the month known as "Nisan"[8] and the calendar adopted by the ancient Assyrians had the month "Nisan" at the beginning of the calendar[9] lending to the term "Kha b-Nisan", or the "first of Nisan".
The modern observance of Akitu began in the 1960s during the Assyrian intellectual renaissance.[10] Due to political oppression, however, the celebrations were largely private until the 1990s.[10]
The event is largely celebrated by Assyrians residing in Syria. Although theSyrian government does not acknowledge the festival, Assyrians still continue with the celebration.[11] In 2002,Assyrians in Syria celebrated the event with a mass wedding of 16 couples and over 25,000 attendees.[12] After the formation ofTurkey, Kha b-Nisan along withNowruz were banned from public celebration.Assyrians in Turkey were first allowed to publicly celebrate Kha b-Nisan in 2005, after organizers received permission from the government to stage the event, in light of democratic reforms adopted in support of Turkey's EU membership bid.[13][unreliable source?][14][unreliable source?] Around 5,000 people "including large groups of visiting ethnic Assyrians from Europe, Syria and Iraq" took part in the Kha b-Nisan celebrations.[15]
One of the largest Assyrian New Year celebrations took place inIraq in 2008. Public celebrations were not allowed bySaddam Hussein's regime prior to the start of the Iraq war. The event was organized by theAssyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa) and between 45,000 and 65,000 people took part in the parade.[16][17]
In 2004, Hon.George Radanovich of theCalifornia State Assembly recognized the Assyrian New Year and extended his wishes to the Assyrian community inCalifornia.[18][unreliable source?] 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.[19][unreliable source?]
In 2020 festivities were cancelled in northeastern Syria due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[20]
Assyrians celebrate Kha b-Nisan by holding social events including parades and parties.[21][22] They also gather in clubs and social institutions and listen to the poets who recite the story of creation. Those celebrating wear traditional clothes and poppies.[21][22][10] Some people will dress up as ancient Assyrian royalty.[5][10] People greet each other by sayingReesh Shato Brikhto, Reesha D’Sheeta Brikhta orAkitu Breekha.[10]
Due to its modern alignment withApril Fool's Day, the festival is often more lighthearted than its historical counterpart.[10]
It is a tradition in Assyrian villages for girls to gather flowers and herbs which are then suspended under the house's roof or made into a garland for a home's front door.[10] The bunches are referred to as "Deqna d-Nisan"[23][unreliable source?] (ܕܩܢܐ ܕܢܝܣܢ), meaning "the beard of April/Spring".
Newer traditions have also arisen in diaspora communities. The Assyrian community inYonkers, New York has a tradition of raising the Assyrian flag in front of City Hall on April 1.[24] InChicago, Illinois, it has also become tradition to hold a parade down King Sargon Boulevard.[25]
.png)
.jpg)