The Yazidi religion is one of the oldest, dating back over 6,000 years. It’s a monotheistic faith with about a million followers worldwide. They call themselves the People of the Peacock Angel, a deity believed to have come to Earth in ancient times to help create the planet and all life. Due to a historical misunderstanding, Muslims have often viewed the Peacock Angel as evil, which led to the genocide by ISIS, who saw the Yazidi as infidels and heretics.
The Ceina Cemaiya is the Yazidis’ most important festival, an annual seven-day pilgrimage to the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir in Lalish, north of Mosul, Iraq. The festival lasts seven days, each with its own specific rites. The opening day is the most significant, pictured in many photos. This is the first time they’ve celebrated it since 2014, after the ISIS genocide against the Yazidi people, making this year’s festival especially important.
The celebrations begin in the morning at the Baba Sheikh’s house. He’s the elderly spiritual leader of all Yazidis, akin to the Pope for Christians or the Prophet for Muslims. The rituals continue in Lalish, the holiest city for Yazidis. At night, a beautiful ceremony with music and candles marks the end of summer. During the ceremony, it’s absolutely forbidden to take photos of the man dressed in black, as he represents their God. So, I recorded some videos featuring only the music and voices.
The ceremony involves seven elders, who symbolize the seven angels, walking in three circular paths around seven candles. They take three steps at a time, touching the black-robed man’s hair at every third step, accompanied by deep music and special chants. At the end of the ritual, participants enjoy a soup made from summer vegetables since they won’t be available anymore.
If you want to see and understand more, here’s a page with the videos I’ve made: Ceyna Cemayia Videos, and the wikipedia page about Yazidi.
The photos of the Yazidi genocide are available here: Yazidi genocide. The street photos of my Iraqi reportage are available here: Iraq 2018 – Street photos.
