Yezidi marriages not allowed in April

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – For hundreds of years, the Yazidi people do not perform marriage ceremonies in April, respecting the month as the ‘bride of the year,’ Luqman Sulaiman, a Yazid, told Kurdistan 24. 

“Many sacred ceremonies are held in Lalish in April, including the Yazidi New Year," Pir Khalat, a Yazidi researcher, revealed. 

There are approximately 500,000 Yazidis living in Iraq. More than 70%, or 360,000, of them are still living in camps in the Kurdistan region, according to the figures released by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Another 100,000 Yezidis are living outside of Iraq.

Thousands of Yezidi women were sexually enslaved by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which was defeated in 2017 by Kurdish and Iraqi forces, with the support of the US-led coalition.

The Kurdish-Kurmanji-speaking community has suffered at least 72 genocides.

European countries, including Germany, have hosted a significant number of Yezidis fleeing the violence. Nearly 10,000 Yezidis were killed or kidnapped by ISIS.

The United Nations later recognized the atrocities against the Yazidi people as genocide.

More than 3,500 Yezidis have been rescued so far, according to the KRG.