FRIDAY GATHERING IN LALISH, A MAJOR YAZIDI HOLY SITE
April 06, 2024
Lalish, a mountain village in Iraqi Kurdistan is the holiest site of Yazidism, an ancient religion rooted in western Iranic pre-Zoroastrian religion that incorporates elements of other faiths, including Zoroastrianism, Sufi mysticism, Christianity and Judaism. The site consists of a number of shrines featuring distinctive conical spires, the most revered of which contains the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, considered as a central figure of the Yazidi faith. Yazidism’s principal beliefs are that there is one God who created humankind, while all other living beings were the work of seven angels led by the ruling Peacock Angel named Tawusi Melek. Each Friday, considered a holy day, hundreds of Yazidis from across the region and the diaspora gather in Lalish to pray, perform religious rites and socialize.
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AKITU, ASSYRIAN NEW YEAR CELEBRATED IN DOHUK
April 02, 2024
Akitu, the Assyrian New Year, holds great cultural and historical significance for the Assyrian community in Iraq. The festival, which falls on the first day of April according to the Gregorian calendar, is considered one of the oldest religious festivals known to human civilisations in Mesopotamia. Akitu marks the rebirth of nature in the spring, an event that secures people’s lives and futures for the coming year. According to historical sources, the celebration of this holiday began in the 5th millennium BC, with some historians suggesting that the Sumerians celebrated it since the Ubaid period around 5300 BC in Iraq. This year, thousands of members of the Assyrian community, both local and from the diaspora, gathered in Dohuk to take part in the celebrations. The festivities were marked by traditional dances, captivating performances and spirited renditions of national and patriotic songs.
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PALM SUNDAY CELEBRATION IN AL-QOSH, IRAQ
March 26, 2024
Palm Sunday is an important event for the local community in Al-Qosh, a Christian Assyrian town in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian liturgical calendar, is celebrated with great reverence and tradition. The day commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as described in the New Testament, where people placed palm branches in his path. The celebration began with a service at Mar Gorgis Church, followed by a procession of hundreds of local Christians and Assyrians from the Diaspora who carried palm branches through the city to the Monastery of Our Lady of the Seeds. After the procession, crowds gathered in front of the monastery to listen to music and participate in traditional dances. After the festivities, participants gathered for meals and socializing. In Al-Qosh, the celebration is also an expression of the community’s resilience and preservation of its cultural and religious heritage amid the broader challenges facing the region.
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LAZARUS SATURDAY OBSERVED BY ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS
March 25, 2024
Lazarus Saturday is an important celebration in the Christian liturgical calendar, particularly for Oriental Orthodox and as well some Eastern Catholic Churches such as the Chaldean Catholic Church. In Al-Qosh, a Christian town in northern Iraq populated by Assyrians, Lazarus Saturday has special significance. It commemorates the resurrection of Lazarus, as described in the New Testament, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead four days after his burial. On this day, which also marks the beginning of the Holy Week, special liturgical services are held in churches. It is common to see processions and traditional rituals during the celebration. These might include the carrying of religious icons or banners and the singing of hymns that reflect the significance of the resurrection of Lazarus. The rituals often involve the whole community, making it a communal celebration. In Al-Qosh, as in many other Christian communities, children play an important role in the celebration of Lazarus Saturday.
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NEWROZ CELEBRATION IN AKRE, IRAQI KURDISTAN
March 21, 2024
Nowruz, meaning ‘new day’ in Persian, marks the arrival of spring and the first day of the Iranian calendar. It is also celebrated by the Kurdish people as Newroz or Nawruz, for whom it is an important symbol of their national identity. The roots of this ancient tradition of marking the spring equinox lie in Zoroastrianism, and the fact that it is widely celebrated in Iran and neighboring regions has led to its inclusion on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The town of Akre is considered the capital of Newroz, where tens of thousands of people gather each year on 20 March to celebrate. Despite the bad weather and overlap with the month of Ramadan, over 75,000 people from all over Iraqi Kurdistan gathered in the town to celebrate Newroz this year.
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CAMEL WRESTLING FESTIVAL IN SELCUK, TURKEY
January 22, 2024
Camel wrestling is a traditional sport in which two male Tulu camels wrestle, usually in response to a female camel in heat being led in front of them. It is most common in the Aegean region of Turkey, but is also practiced in other parts of the Middle East and South Asia. This year marked the 42nd edition of the International Selcuk Camel Wrestling Festival, the most important tournament of its kind, held in the third week of January each year. Thousands of spectators and fans enjoyed traditional music and dance, camel meat barbecues and the ubiquitous Turkish raki. A day before, camels were paraded through the center of Selcuk in a beauty pageant, decorated with colorful beaded muzzles, fabrics, pompoms, bells and Turkish flags. However, the popularity of this sport is in decline, as the relative costs of caring for such an animal rises, as well as concern for the animals’ welfare.
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SURVA IN THE VILLAGES OF PERNIK PROVINCE, BULGARIA
January 15, 2024
Ritual masking in Bulgaria dates back to ancient times and is still very much alive today. The festival of Surva in the central and western parts of Bulgaria occupies a special place among the traditional masquerades. It is held every year on 13 and 14 January – New Year’s Day according to the Julian calendar. For the local communities, Surva is the most awaited festival of the year. The core of the celebration is a popular masquerade ritual performed in villages throughout the region. On the first night, Survakari masquerade groups, consisting of men, women and children, don specially prepared masks and costumes and make their way to the village centre, where they light fires and tease and play with the spectators. Some participants take on special roles, such as the leader, the newlyweds, the priest and the bear. Early the next morning, they gather and go around the village visiting houses where they ritually marry young couples, while the bear ‘mauls’ people for good health. Hosts await their arrival with a ritual meal and gifts. After the feast, the Survakari distribute the gifts, often donating the money they have collected to orphans and the poor.
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