Kurdish Flag Day

Culture of origin: Kurdish · Cultural

Holiday sources: Iran · Kurdish

The Kurdish flag, with a blazing golden sun of 21 rays at its centre, was created in 1920 by the Society for the Rise of Kurdistan. On 17 December 1945 the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan raised it over the government office in Mahabad, and it became the flag of the Republic of Mahabad and, in 1992, of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is the strongest symbol of a shared Kurdish identity, and on 19 June 2004 the Kurdistan Parliament designated 17 December as Flag Day.