366 candles lit in Lalish for Yezidi New Year
On the eve of the Yezidi New Year, also known as Charshema Sor (Red Wednesday), 366 candles were lit at the ancient temple of Lalish in the Kurdistan Region's Shekhan district to mark each day on the Yezidi calendar.
Thousands of Yezidis flocked to Lalish, the holiest Yezidi temple located in a valley about 40 kilometers from the city of Duhok, on Apr. 19.
More Yezidis are attending their annual New Year celebrations than in the last two years when COVID-19 restrictions prevented large gatherings and members of the Yezidi diaspora from traveling to join the festivities.
Worshippers were dressed in traditional clothes and many held candles outside the temple.
Among the worshippers at Lalish was Jwan Shingali, who now lives in Germany. She expressed her joy to be back in Lalish after not having the opportunity for five years.
"The Yezidi New Year is the most ancient feast for us. It falls in spring, the first Wednesday of Nisan month on the Yezidi calendar," said Luqman Sulaiman, the media officer of Lalish temple.
On this holiday, Yezidis offer colored eggs to guests representing the colors of the world. They don't hold weddings during this month because they believe spring is the bride of the year because of the beauty of nature during this season.
"We hope that this year all the displaced Yezidis can return to their homes in Sinjar, and all the missing Yezidi women are found and reunited with their families and community," Sulaiman said.
The Director of Yezidis Affairs in Duhok Jaafar Simo pointed out that the philosophy of the Yezidi religion is closely intertwined with nature. He said that unlike other feasts and celebrations during the year, the Yezidi New Year is distinct since it is observed at the temple and then celebrated the next day in people's homes.
In Duhok province, which has a long history of religious coexistence, Muslims and Christians visit their Yezidi friends to wish them a happy New Year.
Kurdistan 24 talked to Basim Khalaf, a Yezidi living in an internally displaced person (IDP) camp in Duhok, who was at a local shop preparing for Red Wednesday.
Khalaf said that since 2014 his main wish for each New Year has been for the situation in Sinjar to improve so that he and his family can finally return.
"It's a given that we want to leave these tents and return to Sinjar, but first we need to see a normalized security situation in Sinjar and much-needed reconstruction with all basic services in place," he said.