Shafaq News
Across northern Iraq and throughout the
diaspora, Yazidi families broke their fast on Friday with shared meals and
quiet prayers. The celebration of Eda Rojiet Ezi, the Feast of the Almighty,
followed three days of dawn-to-dusk fasting, an annual December ritual that
holds singular importance in Yazidi religious life.
As in every year since 2014, however,
the feast carried a deeper weight. For a community whose homeland was
devastated by genocide and whose recovery remains incomplete, religious
observance has become inseparable from questions of survival, justice, and the
possibility of return.
“Yazidis in Iraq and around the world
are celebrating their religious feast today,” Amir Hazim Tahsin Bek, the
spiritual leader of the global Yazidi community, told Shafaq News on Friday.
“We hope this feast brings goodness and happiness to all, and that security and
peace prevail everywhere.”
His words reflected a dual reality that
defines contemporary Yazidi life: the determination to preserve ancient
traditions alongside the knowledge that much of what once sustained them—land,
community cohesion, and sacred spaces—has been damaged or lost.
Faith Rooted in Survival
The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking
religious minority whose ancestral homeland lies primarily in Sinjar district
and parts of Duhok province, with smaller communities in Syria and a growing
diaspora in Europe and North America. Their faith, which predates both Islam
and Christianity, is distinct and rooted in ancient Mesopotamian traditions
preserved largely through oral transmission.
Lalish, a valley temple complex in the
Kurdistan Region, remains the community’s holiest site. During the December
fast, many Yazidis traditionally travel there to observe rituals linked to
spiritual renewal and gratitude for divine protection.
The Three-Day Fast of December is one of
the few religious obligations observed by all Yazidis, with fasting from dawn
until sunset, according to religious records. Evenings during the fast are
marked by communal prayer and shared meals, culminating in the feast day, which
falls on the Friday before the winter solstice and symbolizes renewal in the
solar cycle.
Today, families marked the occasion in
ways shaped by both tradition and circumstance. Hussein Huso, a Yazidi resident
of Duhok, described the social rhythm of the day. “The feast is an important
social occasion,” he told Shafaq News. “I went out with my family early in the
morning to visit relatives and exchange congratulations.”
Zahra Jasim, another Yazidi resident,
spoke of the preparations that precede the feast. “The fast lasted three days,
from Tuesday until Thursday, with Friday as the feast day,” she said. “Families
prepare for it days in advance. Sour kubbah is among the main dishes, along
with bulgur, rice, and meat.”
Such details—the food, the timing of
visits, the shared preparation—reflect a culture sustained through practice,
even as the context in which it unfolds has fundamentally changed.
What Came Before
The celebrations unfolded against a
backdrop that continues to define Yazidi life more than a decade after ISIS
attacked Sinjar in August 2014. The campaign was systematic and devastating,
involving mass killings, forced displacement, and the abduction of thousands of
women and children.
Read more: A decade of suffering: Yazidis still seeking justice after ISIS atrocities
The United Nations and its investigative
body, UNITAD, later concluded that the assault amounted to genocide. Thousands
of Yazidis were killed or kidnapped, according to UNITAD documentation. Amnesty
International, citing the Office for Kidnapped Yazidis in Duhok, estimates that
about 2,600 people remain missing, while Save the Children reports that more
than 1,300 Yazidi children are still unaccounted for.
These figures represent families still
searching for answers, grief left unresolved, and a community unable to fully
heal while so many remain missing.
Although large-scale fighting has ended,
the aftermath continues to shape daily life. The International Organization for
Migration estimates that tens of thousands of Yazidis remain internally
displaced, many living in camps across the Kurdistan Region, some for more than
a decade.
Returns to Sinjar have occurred, but
slowly and unevenly. Damaged infrastructure, lingering security concerns, and
unresolved governance disputes between Baghdad and Erbil have hindered
progress. A UN-backed agreement reached in 2020 aimed to stabilize Sinjar and
facilitate returns, but implementation has been inconsistent, according to the
United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), leaving many families
uncertain about returning permanently.
Messages of Resilience
Political leaders marking the occasion
emphasized both resilience and the need for continued support. Kurdistan Region
President Nechirvan Barzani extended congratulations to the Yazidi community,
describing the feast as a symbol of perseverance and reaffirming commitments to
protect Yazidi rights and support stability in Sinjar.
Other Iraqi officials echoed similar
messages, framing the occasion as a reminder of the need for justice,
reconstruction, and improved living conditions in Yazidi areas.
There is a quiet defiance in the
continuation of these rituals. In the face of genocide—an act intended to erase
a people—the preservation of religious practice becomes an assertion of
existence.
Hadiya Shamo, of the Yazidi Woman
Coordination in Syria, captured this sentiment years ago in remarks to North
Press, describing Ezi Feast Day as the most sacred Yazidi observance. “Though
the region is under attack,” she said, “we are celebrating with sad hearts.”
That phrase reflects the emotional
reality many Yazidis inhabit. Joy and grief coexist, present in every
gathering, prayer, and shared meal.
The observance of Ezi Feast Day is
compulsory for adult Yazidis, with exemptions for children, the elderly, and
the ill. In a faith without a central written scripture, collective
participation sustains belief and community cohesion. Fasting is understood as
an act of spiritual purification and compassion—teachings that resonate deeply
in a community shaped by loss.
What the Feast Reveals
The continuation of Ezi Feast Day
demonstrates extraordinary resilience. Families observed the fast, prepared
traditional foods, and gathered for prayers across camps, cities, and
continents.
Yet the celebration also highlights what
remains unfinished. Many marked the feast in displacement camps rather than
ancestral homes, while others did so in diaspora, far from sacred sites and
extended family networks. The missing were present in their absence, felt in
unanswered prayers and empty spaces at tables.
As the feast continues, the questions
facing the Yazidi community remained unresolved: when the missing will be
found, what will enable sustainable return to Sinjar, and how a scattered
community can preserve its identity across generations.
What remains clear is the community’s
commitment to continuity. In observing one of their holiest rituals, Yazidis
reaffirm not only their faith, but their insistence on survival, justice, and a
future shaped on their own terms.
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
