Masoud Barzani congratulates Ezidis on eve of Red Wednesday

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Former President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani on Tuesday congratulated the Yezidis (Ezidis) on the eve of their New Year, also known as Charsama Sor or “Red Wednesday.”

In an address welcoming the Ezidi New Year, Barzani extended his warm greetings to all those celebrating in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and abroad.

He also hoped the New Year heals all the wounds suffered by the Ezidis throughout their history—most recently, at the hands of the Islamic State (IS)—and strengthens the brotherhood of all Kurds.

On Tuesday, dozens of hundreds of Ezidis from the Kurdistan Region and other parts of Iraq gathered in Lalish, in Duhok Province, in preparation for the New Year.

Red Wednesday takes place every year in April, usually after the 14th of the month and on a Wednesday.

Ezidis claim to have one of the oldest religions in the world, and their evidence for this is their calendar. According to the Ezidi Calendar, they are now in the year 6768 (April 2018).

The Ezidi calendar is older than any other religious calendar such as the Christian or Gregorian, Jewish, and Islamic calendars.

Before IS took control of their cities and towns in the southwest of the Kurdistan Region, Ezidis used to celebrate Red Wednesday in their holy sites in Sinjar (Shingal).

However, in the past few years, they have mainly celebrated the New Year at the Lalish Temple in Duhok.

As part of their tradition, Ezidi women traditionally paint eggs on Tuesday and hang flowers at their doorsteps to welcome the New Year.