Assyrian New Year

Assyrian New Year Quick Facts

AKA Name	Kha b-Nisan, Ha b' Nisin, First of April, Resha d'Sheta, Head of the year, Akitu
Hashtags	#AssyrianNewYear, #Akitu
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2020 Date	April 1, 2020
2021 Date	April 1, 2021

2020 Holidays & Dates

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Assyrian New Year in 2020

Wednesday, Apr 1

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Assyrian New Year History

Assyrian new year is also known as Kha b’ Nisan or Ha b’ Nisan. Akitu is the spring festival that commemorates the beginning of the Assyrian New Year. Akitu is celebrated on the 1st of April, the festival is a symbol of the rebirth of nature in the spring.

Top Tweets for Assyrian New Year

Updated 15:28

Read about “Kha B’Nissan; The Assyrian New Year” by The Beth Nahreen Assyrian Organization published in our Nineveh Magazine issue 1980 - 2. #AFA https://t.co/x1aFsTNFcz
— Assyrian Foundation of America (@AssyrianFA) March 27, 2020

April Fool’s Day aka Assyrian New Year Akitu Festival. (Thread) If you liked Purim “Cast Lots for Marduk” you’re sure to love Akitu the Assyrian Barley Festival! https://t.co/mxYJihnXff https://t.co/AcEECDgojq
— Secret SoSHHiety (@SouledOutWorld) March 23, 2020

We can’t gather in groups, but it’s still important we mark special occasions. Wishing all Assyrian and Chaldean Australians and all around the world a Happy New Year (Akito). https://t.co/1L7OzzRZbI
— Chris Bowen (@Bowenchris) March 28, 2020

Assyrian New Year Facts

In ancient Assyria, the New Year festival was celebrated for 12 days. Antique objects such as cuneiform tablets have shown that this celebration was the most significant event of the year.
After the formation of Turkey, the Assyrian New Year along with the Nowruz were debarred as public celebrations. Assyrians in Turkey were first permitted to publicly celebrate Kha b’ Nisan in 2005.
The Assyrian New Year has a few names. Kha b’ Nisan or Ha b’ Nisin, means the “First of April”, while Resha d’Sheta translates to “Head of the year” in Assyrian. Akitu, the Akkadian name for the Assyrian New Year is also commonly used. The Assyrian New Year is a spring festival celebrated on April 1.
The Assyrian New Year was the biggest festival in the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian Empires.

Assyrian New Year Top Events and Things to Do

Assyrians celebrate the Assyrian New Year frequently by holding family parties, picnics, parades, and parties. It’s not unusual to see men and women together wearing traditional clothes and dancing in parks for hours, or families holed up in cultural centers enjoying many hours of poetry. This party is recognized as the Re sha d’sheta for Assyrians in Iraq and throughout the diaspora.
A beautiful tradition where Assyrian girls fold flowers and herbs which are then suspended from the roof is known as Diqna d’ Nisan, meaning "Beard of April/Spring".