Lalish is 90 kilometers northwest of the Kurdistan Region's capital of Erbil.

Although the Yezidis have faced several difficult years since the rise of ISIS in 2014, Hesso, who still lives in a Yezidi IDP camp near Duhok, said he hopes the best for all Yezidi people with the coming of the New Year.

Men and women wore traditional clothes, with many choosing to wear the color red as a sign of spring and renewal.

Men walked around serving small cups of strong coffee, as people held flowers in their hands, and children enjoyed playing and spending time with their family and friends.

Visitors also took advantage of this day to pay a visit to the religious leaders, particularly Baba Sheikh, who received several people, young and old alike, to kneel and kiss his hand as a sign of respect.

There have been several days of celebrations culminating on Wednesday.

The Yezidi New Year, Sere Sal, is held on Chwarshama Soori, translated as Red Wednesday, this year falling on April 18. It marks the day that Tawuse Melek, the Peacock Angel who is God's representative on earth, descended on the holy site of Lalish to bless the earth with fertility and renewal.

Around 200,000 or about half of the Yezidi population in Iraq fled into the Kurdistan Region or Syria in 2014. Approximately 80-85 percent still remain in camps primarily in Duhok province.

The fates of about half of the 6,417 Yezidis abducted by ISIS in 2014 are still unknown.

The Yezidi homeland of Shingal remains unstable and the IDPs say they fear returning.

Photos by AFP/Safin Hamed