Kurdish culture

Kurdish cultureis a group of distinctiveculturaltraits practiced byKurdish people. The Kurdish culture is a legacy from ancient peoples who shaped modern Kurds and their society.
Kurds are an ethnic group who live in the northernMiddle East, in a region that the Kurds callGreater Kurdistan. Greater Kurdistan lies along theZagros Mountainsand theTaurus Mountains, and today comprises northeasternIraq, northwesternIran, northeasternSyria, and southeasternTurkey.
There is a lot of controversy about the Kurdish people from their origins, their history, and even their political future. Kurds are one of the largest ethnic groups that do not have an independent state recognized universally.
Kurdish (Kurdî) is part of the North-Western division of the Iranian branch of theIndo-European language family.
The Kurds have a rich folkloric tradition which is increasingly endangered as a result of modernization, urbanization, and cultural repression. Kurds celebrate the new year onNewroz, and its celebration was often banned by authorities in Turkey and Syria.A well known Kurdish tale isMem û Zîn.
Zembilfrosh (Kurdish:زەمبیلفرۆش) (Kurdish for"basket seller") is a folktale popular inTurkish KurdistanandIraqi Kurdistan. Zembilfrosh was the son of a powerful Kurdish ruler who left his home and life behind to seek a spiritual life as adervish. He wanders the countryside with his faithful wife, surviving by making and selling baskets. One day they arrive in the capital of a Kurdish emirate, where the prince's wife sees Zembilfrosh and falls in love with him. She summons him to the castle, where she declares her love for him and tries to seduce him. Zembilfrosh declines, but she presses, promising him many riches. Zembilfrosh is not persuaded and she locks him in a castle tower, from which he eventually escapes. The prince's wife then disguises herself and starts searching for Zembilfrosh, and eventually finds him. She then deceives Zembilfrosh's wife, convincing her to lend her her clothes and leave the house. When Zembilfrosh returns that night, it is dark and he does not recognize the prince's wife, who welcomes him into bed. However, a silver anklet gives her away, and he runs off, chased after by his would-be-lover. As Zembilfrosh sees that escape is impossible, he prays to God, supplicating to be released from a world of misery, and God complies. Reaching Zembilfrosh's lifeless body, the prince's wife is so heartbroken that she dies as well. They are then buried side by side. Their resting place is claimed to be located at the contemporary town ofBatifa, a subdistrict of the district ofZakho,Duhok governorate, inIraqi Kurdistan.
Kurdish folk music is an important part of Kurdish culture and has traditionally been used to transmit stories about Kurdish history byDengbêj. Dengbêj  (bards, literally "voice-sing") are well known for songs of mourning, orstran.Many popular Kurdish musicians of the 20th century likeHassan ZirakandAhmet Kayasang in Turkish orPersianas well as in Kurdish.
Kurdish cinemafocuses on theKurdishpeople and culture. The fate of theKurdsas a people without a state shaped their cinema. Kurdish films often show social grievances,oppression,torture,human rights violations, and life as a stranger. Kurdish cinema has a high significance for the Kurds, as it offers the opportunity to draw attention to their own situation artistically. However, because of state repression, most films are produced inexile. The best example of this is inTurkey, where Kurds were not permitted to speak their native language until 1991, which made the development of their films more difficult.
Films about Kurds:
Food is widely recognized to be a fundamental part of what it means to be Kurdish. Foods such askftaکفتە (spiced minced meat cased in thin layer of mashed pudding rice),Ser u pe(goats head, tongue and feet),shifta(meat patties),are traditional Kurdish foods. Lamb and chicken have been staple meats in Kurdish cuisine for centuries. Vegetables,pilaf, and dairy products also comprise a large portion of traditional Kurdish food.Tea is also staple to a Kurdish diet. It is commonly drunk 2-3 times a day as a social activity. Kurds also drink Mastaw/Do'h/Ayran, a yogurt-based drink.
The Kurdish people have different religions depending on their ethnic connections and the country in which they live. The most common religion among Kurds isSunni Islam, practiced by 98% of Kurds living inIraqi Kurdistan. The Kurds of Turkey are 30%Aleviout of a population of approximately 15–22 million Kurds and 68% follow Sunni Islam.