Assyrians celebrate Akitu in northern Syria
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – On the occasion of Akitu, also known as Babylonian or Assyrian New Year, the Assyrian Democratic Organization and the Syriac Union Party organized a party in Tel Arboush village in the countryside of Hasakah.
The first of April of each year marks Akitu, which is celebrated by Assyrians, Syriacs, and Chaldeans as a day of revival and resurrection. The celebration of the Assyrian New Year dates back to the first Babylonian Assyrian dynasty, or the beginning of the second millennium B.C.
The celebration in Tel Arboush began with a minute of silence for northern Syria’s Assyrian and Syriac martyrs, followed by speeches by the Assyrian Democratic Organization and the Syriac Union Party. During the celebration, the presentation of popular dances that reflected the folklore of the Syriac, Chaldean and Assyrian people.
Representatives of Kurdish national parties and forces, as well as civil and religious institutions in northeastern Syria, congratulated the Assyrian, Syriac, and Chaldean people on the occasion of Akitu.
Akitu is considered one of the most important national holidays for the Assyrian Syriac people, and has been celebrated since the eras of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires, where huge celebrations and carnivals were held over a period of twelve days in which all groups and segments of the people participated, along with priests and kings, to celebrate the coming of spring and renewal and resurrection of nature.