Yazidis in Syria and Iraq have celebrated the holiday of Charshema Sor (Çarşema Sor), also known as ‘Red Wednesday’.
Red Wednesday marks the sacred holiday of the Yazidis, Charshema Sor. Celebrated on the first Wednesday after 13 April, this holiday represents the day when ‘the earth is fermented’, the revival of nature, the herald of good days in a new year, and the day when peace and fellowship are established in place of hatred.
The Charshema Sor celebration in Amuda (Amûdê) in North and East Syria was attended by officials of the Autonomous Administration, political parties, civil organisations, women’s groups and citizens. During the event, politicians stated that the Autonomous Administration’s declaration will guarantee the rights of all religions and cultures in the region.
“The state of being Yazidi is identity, culture, history and resistance” was the slogan in the autonomous Shahba (Şehba) region in northern Syria, where hundreds of people gathered to celebrate Charshema Sor.
In northern Iraq, Yazidi Kurds celebrated the Charshema Sor holiday with a religious ceremony in Lalish (Laliş), the holy place of Yazidis.
The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Committee for Peoples and Beliefs released a statement to celebrate this traditional holiday of the Yazidis, expressing hope that the holiday will be an occasion for democracy, freedom, peace and fellowship, which is the heartfelt desire of all the peoples of the region.
“Yazidi people are celebrating another Charshema Sor holiday in an environment where they struggle to carry their ancient cultural values to the future by resurrecting themselves every day on their own roots. In this sense, we salute the Charshema Sor holiday of our Yazidi people, who embrace their own cultural values more strongly and take determined steps towards a free future,” the statement reads.
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) also released a statement to celebrate Charshema Sor saying, “May Red Wednesday, the festival of the ancient Yazidi community, be blessed by all humanity and be a means of peace, equality and stability.”
