By Jane Arraf , Claire Harbage Girls sit on a wall to get a good vantage point of people walking up the mountains with flaming torches and fireworks for Nowruz in Akre, the Kurdish region of Iraq on Friday. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption 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. Dusk falls over Akre on Nowruz, a celebration of spring and renewal, and people gather in a central plaza.…