The worship of the natural world manifests itself in Kurdish culture in various forms. A notable example is a veneration of old and sacred trees called Darê Mirazan or Dara Miraza, which translates into English as "The Tree of Wishes" or the Tree of Miracles. The sick visit them, believing that they have healing powers, and star-crossed lovers who feel the trees could help change their destiny or anyone who wishes their specific desires gets fulfilled. They tie a piece of their clothes onto the tree, with the idea that now the person has tied a part of themselves onto the tree for blessing or healing.

It was believed that inside the trees dwelled the guardian spirits called Dêw, meaning demon. The Dêw was associated with fertility, guidance, power, and protection. Therefore, the veneration of the trees was accompanied by sacrifices to the Dêw to ward off evil forces and bad luck.

Zoroastrians considered these practices evil; Zoroastrian clergy persecuted the followers of Mithraism for they were accused of demon worship, or following the God of darkness, instead of worshipping the God of light, Ahura Mazda. An accusation that is also directed against Kurds in early Christian and Muslim sources, as in medieval and late medieval accounts. In the 17th century, French traveler Pierre d'Avity went so far as to claim "the land of Curds, which is called the devil's country." The followers of Kurdish sects such as Yarsani, Reya Haqi, and Yezidi, remnants of Mithraism, are still accused of devil-worshipping.

In some places, usually in late autumn, specific sacrifice festivities are celebrated under Dara Miraza. The sacred character of these particular trees depends on the site where they grow, their age, size, or any other attributed features.

 

A 19th-century traveler, in his account of Kuzulbash Koords, or Alevi (Rêya Haqī) Kurds in northern Kurdistan, noted that "they are known to worship stones and ancient trees. They say that some prophet or saint has doubtless sat beneath that tree; therefore, it's sacred! With their remarkable notions of defied prophets, it would not be strange if they fancy that by contact, they impart of their divine nature to the old tree." 

 

Armenian writer and priest Hovhannes Muradian wrote in the 1860s that "in Kurdistan, the worship of trees and water is immeasurable." More recently, among the Rêyā Haqî Kurds in Dersim, Ahmet Gültekin describes rituals at sacred, protected sites called Jiares, which include trees, forests, mountains, rocks, caves, rivers, lakes, fountains, fire, soil, wild animals, or the sun and moon. They also tie offerings to trees."

All of this evidence attests to the vast scope of Kurdish nature spirituality which powerfully holds nature to be sacred and sees it as connected to the Creator.

The Kurdish Jews also practiced similar customs in Kurdistan. According to Haya Gavish, in Kurdistan, Tu-bi Shevat was a unique festival that symbolized fertility. Many magical customs were practiced on this day. Women linked their fate to that of the fruit trees; they believed that the rainwater inseminated the trees and, therefore, they, too, would become pregnant that night. They used to scatter raisins and sweets around the trees to enhance their fertility, hug the tree trunks, and recite a particular poem."

These traditions were still widely practiced in the 20th century. The Christian missionaries, the Wigrams, observed that among the Kurds, "the oldest faith of the land, the aboriginal tree-worship, still lingers in the villages. And indeed, is only despised by the townsfolk when the foreigner is within hearing [...] A rag from the garments of any sufferer from any disease has only to be tied to one of its branches to secure relief infallibly." Orientalist G.C. Driver in the 1920s encountered "a few whole Kurdish tribes which worshipped the trees of the forest and had altars formed of blocks of stone, like dolmens or menhirs, in the secret recesses of their country, Kurdistan." Likewise, French orientalist Thomas Bois who traveled through Kurdistan in mid-20th, noticed the worship of the powers of nature and the persistence of ancient beliefs that the guardian spirits, whether good or bad, haunted certain trees and springs; he noted: "these beliefs [which were common in ancient times] have not altogether disappeared, and there is today in Kurdistan many trees and many springs which are considered sacred."

In Sulaimani and Kirkuk, Bois observed the magical rites in which the Kurds engage to bring rain or cause it to cease in the event of a drought "the women also do their part in combatting the drought. 

They also go together in a band into the country to an ancient and venerable tree in the shade of which they comfort themselves; after having donned their finest clothes and with necessary kitchen utensils and provisions, they dance around the saucepan until the meal is ready. After dinner, they pour water over the prettiest dress of the company and await the rain. Then, if no rain falls before it is time to return, they pour water over one another's clothes and return completely soaked to their homes."

 

The veneration of animals and trees is also reflected in traditional Kurdish clothes' designs; he noted, "the designs are varied and colors singularly fresh and bright. Among the motifs of decoration, animals, and trees, more or less stylized, figure largely. Tress and spiders frequently appear."

Knowledge of the Tree of Wishes among younger generations of Kurds is little. Such practices continue to disappear as fewer people are interested in them.