Iraq
Yazidis celebrating Jama Feast at the holy temple of Lalish on October 6, 2023. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq and Kurdistan Region leaders on Friday congratulated Yazidis on the week-long Jama feast, reiterating their commitment to support the rights, demands, and aspirations of the religious minority.
Every year, in early October Yazidis gather in the holy Lalish Temple to celebrate the Jama feast by participating in religious rituals and ceremonies.
President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani on Friday extended his congratulations to Yazidi people all around the world, reiterating his commitment to rescuing all missing Yazidis.
“On this occasion, we reassure all our Yezidi brothers and sisters that we will continue to support their rights and demands, that our work and efforts to rescue the Yezidis will continue,” said the president in a statement.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also congratulated the Yazidi community on the celebration of Jama, stressing in a statement that “On this day, the Kurdistan Regional Government reaffirms its unwavering commitment to supporting the rights and aspirations of our Yezidi community.”
Yazidis were victims of a genocide perpetrated by Islamic State (ISIS) militants who attacked the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in 2014, killing men and boys and kidnapping women and children. Over 2,000 Yazidis remain missing, according to the Kurdistan Region Presidency's Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis.
The Shingal area remains unstable due to insecurity and lack of basic services.
Baghdad and Erbil signed an agreement in 2020 to return security to Shingal, but it has yet to be fully implemented.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani also congratulated the Yazidi community and underscored the Iraqi government's “unwavering commitment to upholding the rights and justice” for everyone in Iraq.
On Wednesday, Iraq’s Council of Ministers declared that from now on, every year, the week from October 6 to October 14 will be an official holiday for Yazidis in the country.
Every evening during the Jama feast, a ritual dance is performed by men dressed in white followed by a procession behind a sacred torch.
On the fifth night of the week-long festival, a bull is sacrificed. The meat is cooked and shared among the pilgrims.
The timing of the festival coincides with the arrival of autumn. Yazidis pray for good rains during the coming winter in order to have a bountiful harvest in the spring and summer.
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