Greetings from Afrin, Syria, where Kurds danced their hearts out to celebrate spring

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Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR’s international correspondents share moments from their lives and work around the world.

With their red loafers and scarves and sashaying, it’s almost like these men, by linking their arms and dancing their hearts out, are able to briefly erase the horrors that happened here.

During Syria’s war, Afrin — a majority-Kurdish area in the north — suffered kidnappings by ISIS, airstrikes, sexual violence and torture.

I’d last visited Syria before all of that happened, and had never been to Afrin. So for me, this region with a dark past is now indelibly just these joyous scenes from when I finally did visit in March — of Kurdish people celebrating the springtime Nowruz festival with more fervor than in decades.

What you can’t see here are the sparkling turquoise waters of Maydanki Lake behind them and a patchwork of picnic blankets strewn with fresh flowers. What you can’t hear is ululating voices, drums and wooden flutes. What I hope you can sense, though, is resilience.

Many minority Kurds celebrated Nowruz in secret under the repressive rule of the Assad family, and fled during the war. Now they’re coming home — and dancing.

See more photos from Syria and around the world:

• Greetings from Dharamshala, India, where these Tibetan kids were having the best time
• Far from the front lines, Ukrainians fight a war to preserve their culture
• As Greenland prepares for tourism increase, a moment of stillness among the icebergs
• Syria hopes tourists will return to Palmyra, a World Heritage Site ravaged by war
• Syrian Druze recall what they believe to be past lives — even vivid details