Yazidis suspend new year celebrations amid regional war concerns

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Yazidi Supreme Spiritual Council has suspended all official public ceremonies for the community’s New Year, known as Sere Sal, citing regional instability.

Mir Hazim Tahsin Saeed, the temporal and spiritual head of the Yazidi community worldwide, said in a Monday statement on the Facebook that it was decided to “postpone the traditional Parade of the Sanjaq [peacock in English]” - an ancient and highly sacred Yazidi ritual.

Saeed further added that a “strict ban” would be imposed on all media coverage inside Lalish Temple - the Yazidis’ holiest site in the mountains of Shekhan district, located in the Kurdistan Region’s northern Duhok province.

Sere Sal, the Yazidi New Year celebrated in April, is an ancient festival deeply tied to nature's cycles, symbolizing the renewal of life, the emergence of spring, and cosmic rebirth.

The rare suspension of celebrations comes against the backdrop of a six-week war that shook the region.

The United States and Israel launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran on February 28, striking thousands of targets across the country.

In response, Tehran carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets in the region - particularly in Gulf Arab states - as well as launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.

The Iranian response also involved Iraqi armed groups aligned with the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ with several factions claiming responsibility for attacks on alleged US targets in the region, including in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

According to Rudaw tracking, the Kurdistan Region endured more than 700 drone and missile attacks, killing over a dozen people and injuring more than 90 others throughout the near-forty-day war.

A Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran came into effect early last week that was followed by rare face-to-face talks between American and Iranian negotiators in Islamabad on Saturday. The discussions lasted roughly 21 hours but ended without a final agreement.

Amid reports that the warring sides might meet again in the coming days, Mir Tahsin Saeed on Tuesday urged an end to the war, expressing hope “for security, safety, stability, and prosperity,” and emphasizing the need to consolidate peace and coexistence.

In a congratulatory message to the Yazidis, President Masoud Barzani reaffirmed Kurdistan’s unwavering support for the community.

“I emphasize that we stand with them in their pain and suffering and support the demands of the Yazidi sisters and brothers,” the preeminent Kurdish leader said.

Notably, the Yazidi leadership’s decision mirrors recent preventative measures implemented by other ethno-religious groups in the region.

In early April, Christian leaders in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s northern Nineveh province suspended public festivities for both Easter and the Assyrian New Year, Akitu. Observances for those holidays were strictly limited to standard church services as a precaution amid the volatile security situation.