ANKARA, Turkey, March 20 (UPI) -- Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syrian are preparing to celebrate Nowruz, the solar New Year March 21.

The freest celebrations will take place in Iraqi-controlled Kurdistan, which has enjoyed de facto autonomy from Baghdad's rule for the past decade. The regional Kurdish leaders, Masud Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, will officiate over several days of celebrations that will involve picnics, music and dancing, young men jumping through fires and everyone promenading in their finest attire.

Adnan Mufti, deputy prime minister in the PUK area, said Nowruz has a special meaning for Iraqi Kurds. The holiday coincides with the 1991 insurrection that temporarily freed the city of Kirkuk from Baghdad's authority following its defeat against U.S.-led forces in the Gulf War.

"Nowruz celebrations in Iraq are different from those in other parts of Kurdistan because the Iraqi state has recognized the Kurdish New Year as an official holiday since the 1960s and allowed teaching the Kurdish language in schools," Mufti said.

In Turkey, the authorities have given permission for Kurds to hold celebrations in Diyarbekir, the largest city in the Kurdish area. Local authorities are expecting European parliamentarians and non-governmental organization officials to be visiting for the holiday.

The Turkish Kurds were banned from celebrating Nowruz last year and riot police will be standing by Thursday to prevent any unlicensed gatherings.

A senior Turkish security official said the authorities feared the Nowruz celebrations might be turned into demonstrations and rioting in support of the separatist Kurdish Workers Party, known as the PKK, and its imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan. Under Ocalan, the PKK began a separatist insurrection in 1984 that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.

A current hot issue in Turkish politics is the Kurd demand for the right to teach in their own language, which includes Persian, Tajik and other Iranian-group tongues.

In Iran, the Kurdish minority shares Nowruz with the dominant Persians. Nowruz is an official holiday in Iran, celebrated over 13 days.

However, this year Nowruz coincides with Ashura Muharram. While Nowruz is a time for rejoicing, Ashura is the darkest day in the Shia Muslim calendar, the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

There has been debate in Iran as to whether Nowruz should be celebrated or ignored out of respect for Ashura with its traditional penitential acts, such as self-inflicted wounds. So far public opinion appears to favor allowing the celebration of Nowruz, observers say.

The readiness of the Baath regime in Syria, which has the smallest part of Kurdistan, to deal harshly with opposition has resulted in Kurds there maintaining a lower profile than in other parts of their homeland. Nevertheless, Nowruz is celebrated as a popular feast, attended by local representatives of the Damascus government.

While there are no reliable populations figures, Kurds living in the states that share their homeland are estimated to total at least 24 million with 12 million or more in Turkey, 4.5 million in Iraq, perhaps as many as 6 million in Iran, and more than 1.5 million in Syria. In addition, there are up to 1 million in the Kurdish diaspora in Lebanon, Germany, Sweden, Australia and the United States.