Picnic Wear

Another picnic season has already passed (the temperatures are rising) and I again didn't manage to get my Kurdish dress made. If I am here for another Nawruz, I will be sure to order early. I want bronze sequins on mine.

Viva Kurdistan

another borrowed photo
OK, so I am not sure what to write here... what I am not going to write is an essay on Kurdish nationalism. Instead, to all those living in Kurdistan and members of the diaspora, I say (in addition to 'Happy Newroz'), 'Harbizhi Kurdistan'. This year, like last year, I rode to the first Newroz picnic of the year in a car decorated with two Kurdish flags... and unlike the pinickers' flags from last year... and unlike the Iraqi flags near Erbil airport, there were no gold fringes. Please note, that with the exception of Newroz, I have never ever been in a car decorated with the flag of any nation including my own.

Newroz we piroz be

picture stolen from Lonely Planet
This year's Newroz picnic was much like last year's, except that I had 2 invitations to 2 different picnics which turned out to be the same picnic. I got up late and missed the departure of the people who invited me first (Izzy and his gang)... such a shame. However, it meant that I didn't have to get all dolled up in a borrowed candy pink Kurdish dress. Instead I went with Dr. Z, Pambette, Mu, the owner of Cafe de Paris (the restaurant where I spend the evening before dancing to live music), and one of his staff.
Anyway, we arrived at this year's chosen picnic spot- outside the village where Salahadin lived. There were tents and the musicians from the night before's party were there. Many people were dancing and alas, as we made our way towards the dancers, we tripped over Izzy's party. They were grilling and eating meat and Juan was wearing a green Kurdish dress (which my borrowed pink one was to accompany). We listened to music, ate and then got back on the road home (which was packed with picnickers). This year, I saw just a few things that I didn't see last year: Bedouin men on the hillsides walking in groups and a few solitary guys watching their sheep. Also, I saw lots of swings. I guess they were there last year, but I didn't notice them... all over people had attached ropes looped to trees, a pillow or blanket anchored in the middle and women in their dresses sitting on those pillows just a swinging.

My camera was given to a friend of Mu's today who will take it to Istanbul for fixing... However, I will get pictures from Izzy and Pambette and replace the one from the Lonely Planet.

Gold Fringes

One week ago, the item at the top of my wish list was a spangly, sparkly Kurdish dress (complete with sparkly pointy-toed heels and gold-fake will do- jewelry) to wear over Nawruz and all the subsequent picnics and weddings. However, yesterday this wish was displaced.

Upon a brief stop in the parking lot of the apartments to pick up Mu, Dr Z and I saw J's "couch surfies" coming towards us lugging heavy backpacks! (Yes, there are people couch surfing even in Northern Iraq). They couldn't get visas for Iran and were headed to the airport to catch a flight to Jordan. Dr. Z magnanimously offered to drop them at the new airport terminal... or at least at the parking lot outside the high-security gates where they could catch a mini-bus to the terminal. WOW! The road to the airport was lined, not with palm trees - my No.1 favorite road-liner, but with the new (although temporary) Iraqi flag. Since my arrival here, only Kurdish flags could be seen in Hawler... but these flags (see above) were not only flags, but flags trimmed with gold fringes. At the gate to the airport, other flags were in evidence; the Kurdish flag followed by what must have been (no time to examine closely) the flags of the 19 nations currently represented at the Arab Parliamentary Union Conference taking place here at the Martyr Saad Conference Center. What do you think would happen to me if I tried to snag myself one of these flag commemorate of the Arab League's presence? (I already have a Kurdish one... the kind you can buy to decorate your vehicle's antennae).

Picnic #3

And although on Friday, I thought that all the picnicing was over, it was not to be so. Mo called me up (a friend I hadn't been in touch with for a while) and invited me on a picnic with his family... So here I am at my final picnic of the Nawrooz break in a spot somewhere between Hawler and Sallahadin.

I don't know who this boy is as Mo had too many sisters and brothers with children for me to keep everyone straight. This boy is holding the flag that Mu tried so desperately to find on the way to picnic #2.

This is one of Mo's brothers' wife and her sister. They were nice to me (as Mo spent his time playing cards with the men) and even though we had serious language barriers, we seemed to have no trouble communicating. The women seemed to feel that I fit into the family well (at least with the women and children) and asked if Mo and I had plans to marry. Hmmmm.... I guess Mo doesn't really hang out with his family much or they'd know this wouldn't be likely.

The gaggle of little girls dancing with Khanzad Hotel in the background.

The DJ.

And the bonfire which ended the evening.... but not without a little more dolma and kefta.

Nawrooz Picnic (Picnic # 2)

On Nawrooz, I went on my second picnic of the Nawrooz break. This was an event I had really been looking forward to since my friend Mu had mentioned plans with someone I would like to call 'the Godfather' to go to Lalish. I won't write about Lalish here as unfortunately, we didn't make it. At 8:00 I was ready and waiting... Then we went to pic up K, his French wife and twin daughters. We also picked up another SUV as we needed more room for all his extended family and professor friend. Unfortunately, the friend was still in bed and we had to wait. Then the Godfather, in his own SUV, was busy fighting with his passengers and passport control, so we really weren't on the road to anywhere until 10:30. At least while waiting, we were able to shop... Mu wanted to decorate the car like everyone else's with Kurdish flags, but what he ended up with was a tribute to Rastafarians; green, yellow and red with a lion in the center. Ah well, he didn't decorate the car, but wore it around his neck instead. Then after another 2-3 hours of driving around, Mu gave up on trying to find Lalish and we settled for Akre... At least this way, there is more that remains for me to do in Kurdistan. Anyway, the photos below are not the best from the picnic, but I would prefer to post for now until someone else shares their photos with me.

This is one of K's twins, pleased to be the coolest one at the party.

K's brother, his wife and me. As much as I don't care for kebab... K's brother's kebabs were fantastic.

K's brother's wife and something that was surely delicious.

And this is Mk and Dk... Mk led the 'halai' so I was able to learn yet another form of Kurdish line dancing from Turkey... different from the one danced by students at Ruwandez... and different from the one danced the evening before with the Kurds from Iran.