Kurdish Flag Day is officially observed in Iraqi Kurdistan on December 17 each year. Established by the parliament of Iraqi Kurdistan in 1999, this day celebrates the Kurdish flag, which symbolizes the Kurds’ desire for independence. The flag features three horizontal stripes—red, green, and white—along with a golden sun emblem with 21 rays, a number significant in the Kurdish pre-Islamic religion of Yazdanism. The flag was first introduced in the 1920s and became the official flag of Iraqi Kurdistan in 1992. The celebration reflects the cultural identity of the Kurdish people, who primarily inhabit areas in southeastern Turkey, northeastern Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria, known as Greater Kurdistan.