A mass breakfast for Yazidi IDPs in Aleppo’s northern countryside

Northern Aleppo – North-Press Agency

Dejla Khalil

The Yazidis Union Center has prepared for a mass breakfast for the Yazidi community for their fasting for three days, on the occasion of (Feast of Fasting), in al-Ahdath village in Aleppo’s northern countryside, in remembrance of the religious rituals which were practiced in Afrin.  As the Feast of Fasting is one of the holy days of the Yazidis, where they fast for three days, which are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before the first Friday of December, according to the eastern calendar, which are considered to be the shortest and coldest days of the year, in addition, there are religious beliefs as for choosing these days from the year.

Aisha Sido, from the Yazidi village of Faqira, in the region of Afrin, told North-Press about the Union's initiative and the establishment of the mass breakfast: “We were used in Afrin to meet with the elders of the village and break the fast together as a social ritual inherited from our religion, so we wanted to make a collective breakfast to restore the followed rituals and maintain their continuity."

While the co-chair of the Yezidis Union in Afrin Mustafa Nabo, also explained that the forced displacement they were subjected to, has affected the cult rituals of the religion, as they cannot visit their holy sites in Afrin under the Turkish occupation, as they only visit the graves and lit candles at the tombs of their dead.

For her part, Orivan Shamo, hoped that next year they would celebrate in Afrin and that peace would prevail, so she can visit their holy shrines.

The Yazidis people are scheduled to visit the graves on Thursday and lit the candles at the tombs of the victims of Tal Rifaat massacre, that took place on the 2nd of last December, as ten civilians lost their lives, including 8 children, by the Turkish military and its affiliated armed groups’ bombardment.