(AINA) -- Assyrians throughout the world ushered in the 6765th year today, even as ISIS continues its genocidal campaign against them in Syria and Iraq.

In the old Assyrian calendar, the Assyrian New Year began on March 21, the vernal equinox, and so did the month of April. Hence April 1st occurred on the vernal equinox. The Assyrian new year celebration, called Akitu, was and is celebrated for 12 days, beginning on March 21 and ending on April 1. Technically the new year begins on march 21, but to align it with the Gregorian calendar, today's Assyrians symbolically mark the beginning of the new year on April 1.

Celebrations occur on all 12 days of the Akitu festival.

On March 22 the Assyrian community in Sidney celebrated the new year, and they were joined by Australia's prime minister, Tony Abbott.

Today the president of Armenia sent a message to the Assyrian community heralding the new year.

In Yonkers, New York the Assyrian flag was raised to honor the Assyrian new year and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Assyrian American Association of Yonkers, as well as the 100 anniversary of the Turkish genocide of Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks in World War One.

Assyrian communities in the Unites States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East are celebrating the new year and hoping that it will be better than the previous one, which saw the displacement of 200,000 Assyrians from their homes in the Nineveh Plains of north Iraq and Syria, the destruction of Assyrian churches and archaeological sites and the kidnapping of hundreds of Assyrians by ISIS in Syria.

• See Attacks on Assyrians in Syria
• See Timeline of ISIS in North Iraq