BAGHDAD, Iraq — Families spread picnic blankets under the trees. An orange-and-white-striped train ferried wide-eyed children around a lake. Teenage boys tried to catch the eye of pretty girls. Inline skaters weaved through the crowds.

For a few brief hours yesterday, life returned to Zawra Park as families gathered to celebrate the Kurdish new year in the heart of war-torn Baghdad.

Outside the park’s wrought-iron gates, there were the usual threats of gunfire and mortar blasts. Indeed, police recovered 33 bodies in Baghdad alone yesterday, apparent victims of sectarian killings.

Inside the park, the scene was breathtaking for its normality.

“If I had a wish, it would be to see Iraq like this every day,” Ahmed Khalil, who was busy trying to collect girls’ phone numbers with his friend Haidar Ismael, said.

Since the American-led invasion of Iraq four years ago, there have been precious few opportunities for young Baghdad couples to meet. Anxious parents keep their children close to home, fearful of bomb blasts and gunfire. Mr. Khalil’s 19-year-old buddy, Mr. Ismael, dropped out of a teacher-training course to avoid a dangerous commute.

But yesterday was different.

Encouraged by the latest American and Iraqi security crackdown, Kurdish and Arab families thronged to Zawra Park to celebrate Noruz, a long-standing national holiday also celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, and other nearby nations.

Since the security plan began last month, new police checkpoints and patrols are readily evident across the city, providing people with more of a sense of safety. At the park, cars were carefully searched before they were allowed into the jammed parking lot. Men and women were then directed into separate lines for a quick patdown.

Even at the height of Saddam Hussein’s oppression of the Kurdish minority, Arab families joined Kurdish counterparts in celebrating Noruz, which coincides with the first day of spring. Since the fall of Saddam, a Sunni Arab who persecuted the nation’s Kurds and Shiites, the day has become also an expression of Kurdish pride and freedom.

For many Baghdad families, yesterday was the first time in months that they were able to get together with relatives who live in neighborhoods across town. They greeted each other with delighted hugs and kisses in the warm afternoon sun.

“I haven’t seen so many people come out to celebrate,” Mohammed Hameed, 51, who sat on a blanket snacking on cake and chips with his wife and children, said.

Before Iraq’s highways became riddled with bombs and bandits in the aftermath of the American-led invasion, many Kurdish families had traveled to their homeland in the north to celebrate the holiday.

Sahla Zuhair, who put on a glittery purple dress with matching veil for the occasion yesterday, beamed as she recalled the feasts, the music and dancing of those grand celebrations in the Kurdish hills.

“Most of my relatives are here in Baghdad, but we all used to travel to Erbil and celebrate amid the beautiful nature there, in order not to forget our roots,” Ms. Zuhair, 35, said as she waited in line with three excited children for a ride on the park’s merry-goround.

Few dare make the trip now on Iraq’s treacherous roads.

“I long for the security of those days but dreaded Saddam’s government so much,” Ms. Zuhair said. “It’s all about give and take, and the current situation, as dreadful as it may seem, can’t last forever.”

At 3:30 p.m., families were still arriving to steal a few hours of fun before nightfall. Two U.S. Army medical evacuation helicopters clattered above the peaceful scene, a jarring reminder of the war outside.

In addition to the 33 bodies found in Baghdad, at least 13 people were killed and scores injured in violence across Iraq on yesterday.