AKRE, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — For many people, the vernal equinox — which marked the beginning of spring Friday — is just another date on the calendar. But in Iran, it's celebrated as the Persian new year, known as Nowruz. In the Kurdish regions of the Middle East, Nowruz celebrations are a fundamental expression of Kurdish identity.

Today there are more than 30 million Kurds in a contiguous area in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey divided by external borders and historic internal differences. The ancient town of Akre, nestled against craggy mountains in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, has been the focal point for Nowruz celebrations for decades.

Here, Kurds gather to light flaming torches at sunset, carrying them up the mountainside to symbolize the victory of light over darkness. The women wear flowing, sparkly Kurdish dresses that look as if they came out of a medieval painting. Many of the men are dressed in traditional baggy trousers with woven cummerbunds — cotton sashes worn around their waists.

On Friday, hundreds of Kurds carried flames in a procession up the mountain under purple-black storm clouds, leaving the burning burlap torches lighting the darkness next to a giant Kurdish flag unfurled by the path.

The torches reference a story in Kurdish mythology in which a courageous blacksmith assembles an army of villagers and kills a murderous king — signaling with the mountain-top flames that the Kurds are free.

This year, they also spelled out in flames the numbers two and one — referencing a saying that "two plus two equals one" — meaning the Kurdish regions across four different countries together form one united Kurdistan.

Traditionally chilly relations between the government of Iraq's Kurdistan region and leaders of Syria's Kurdish-led region have thawed significantly in recent months. In January, Iraqi Kurdish officials offered political support and humanitarian aid after Syrian government forces advanced on Kurdish held territory across the border.

The ongoing war in the Middle East, which has sent Iranian drones and missiles flying over the Kurdish region as they target U.S. sites, has kept many people away from celebrations this year. But many Syrian Kurds — as well as Kurds from Iran and Turkey — braved the risk of rockets and torrential rain to come to Akre to participate in this key expression of Kurdish identity.