DECEMBER 20, 2025 — December 17 is annually observed as Kurdistan Flag Day, reports the Jerusalem Post.
Ceremonies were held across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq this week in schools and public institutions, says Kurdistan24, though reports persist of incidents in disputed territories. On the same day, security forces in Kirkuk reportedly prevented Kurdish youths from hoisting the flag on a Peshmerga statue, briefly detaining two individuals, according to the Rudaw Media Network. The display of the Kurdish flag has been banned in the city since 2017.
In a message marking the day, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani described the commemoration as a “renewal of our vow to the symbol that embodies our identity of existence, our history, our struggle, and our aspiration for freedom and a dignified life.” Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani also called the banner a “sacred emblem of our people.”
The date was formally chosen in 2009, but its significance traces back to December 17, 1945, when the flag was lowered from official buildings of the Republic of Kurdistan in Mahabad following the brief state’s collapse.
In other news, Nepal observed its National Flag Day on Tuesday, December 16. This annual observance, which occurs on the first day of the Nepali calendar month of Paush (Poush 1), commemorates the adoption of the national flag in 1962 following the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal, says Radio Nepal.
A public rally featuring the Nepalese national flag was organized at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
