Children of the Sun & Bearers of Light: How Kawa and his friends save the Spring Equinox, Newroz

Updated Second Edition of a children's adaptation of the Kurdish Newroz Saga about Kawa the Blacksmith and featuring the origin of Newroz Mythology. "Slowly, the snow giant began to melt. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a beam of light and the giant halo that was coming from Kawa and his friends. The giant thought, It is true that light always wins over darkness, and this time it is in the form of love, friendship and unity. He thought to himself. When people stand together in times of trouble, even the most powerful creatures like me won't be able to survive and spread fear. The giant knew his time had come to an end. As long as the people stood with each other, he would not be successful in stopping spring. Although he would be sure to try again next year"Newroz is probably the most important Kurdish national holiday, celebrated on March 21st, during the Spring Equinox. It is an ancient indo-iranian celebration based in Zoroastrianism that is surrounded by many diverse tales and legends, often around a blacksmith called Kawa. For Kurds, Kawa and Newroz represent the ultimate courage and resilience of people towards tyranny and cold harsh winters. In order to create a child friendly version of the legend surrounding Kawa the Blacksmith and the origins of Newroz for her two children in Diaspora, the author developed this adaptation some years ago. Following the publication of another adaptation of an old Kurdish epos "Mem u Zin" by Ahmede Khani, with the title: Holy Dolma and Honey Pie - Of Friendships and Miracles. The author was born in exile in Germany and was stateless until the age of 12. Language was always more than just a means of communication- it was an identity, heritage and home. Her parents, who were Kurdish university students in Europe's 60s, became political refugees due to being part of the resistance movement against the ruthless Baathist regime in Iraq, that persecuted Kurds, culminating in several genocides. Nevertheless, despite being in exile, they managed to instil in their children a deep love for their mother tongue and give a glimpse in the rich traditions of Kurdish oral story telling, history and culture. Having had limited access to Kurdish children books, due to years of linguistic, cultural and ethnic persecution, Peri-Khan committed herself to continue her people's tradition of generational storytelling to safeguard national heritage. Always in the back of her mind, second and third generations of parents and child