ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The people of the Kurdistan are celebrating the Eid holiday as the nation heads to the polls later this month to determine whether they want to remain in or leave from Iraq.
For now, Arab tourists from the south and center of Iraq seek cooler weather in the relative safety of Kurdistan Region.
Vice President Kosrat Rasul, also the first deputy of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, visited the Peshmerga frontlines in Khurmatu, south of Kirkuk to celebrate the occasion with the Kurdish soldiers who have been fighting the ISIS group for about three years.
He congratulated the people of Kurdistan on the occassion of the Eid al-Adha as he thanked the Peshmerga for keeping the nation safe.
Commenting on the referendum set for September 25, Rasul said that the vote will include everywhere “where Peshmerga is,” calling such areas Kurdistani.
Video: Vice President Rasul was accompanied by other military and political figures to the frontlines Friday morning.
President Masoud Barzani congratulated the people of Kurdistan on the occasion of the holiday — in particular “the family of the martyrs” — while thanking Kurdish security forces for protecting the nation.
Barzani also touched on the September vote on independence.
“I hope that the people of Kurdistan with their yes-vote for independence would make September 25 a big national Eid,” Barzani said adding that may the people of Kurdistan celebrate the date as the day of independence for years to come.
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani noted the fact that the nation is celebrating the occasion at a time of crises, notably the financial crisis that has been ongoing since early-2014.
He said he understands the difficult situation the people are in, but added that it also comes at a moment when people are heading to determine a “bright” future for themselves with their vote later this month.
Eid al-Adha is celebrated by Muslims around the world — one of two holidays in Islam. It comes about two months after the Ramadan holiday.
On the occasion of the Eid, able Muslims perform the Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
This year 5,548 Muslims from the Kurdistan Region headed to Mecca to perform the ritual. It is mandatory for each Muslim to perform the pilgrimage once in their lifetime if they are able financially.
People in Kurdistan headed to mosques across the region to say their Eid prayers, following which the congregate shake hands and exchange kisses to celebrate the occasion.
Unlike other days, many people in Kurdistan have a main meal for breakfast that traditionally includes cooked dried apricot, rice, white beans, red meat and increasingly chicken.
Dried apricots are associated with celebrations in Kurdish culture. Previously, former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, as he was voting in an election after the US-led invasion of Iraq used the fruits to convey a message.
Asked about the election, Talabani told the reporter that it is like Eid for him and they cooked dried apricots for breakfast.
Many Iraqi Arabs are expected to visit Kurdistan over the holiday, mainly because of the cooler weather, and natural beauties such as its many waterfalls and high mountains.
Kurdistan's Department of Tourism said that 1.4 million tourists visited Kurdistan in the first six months this year, an increase of 61 percent compared to last year. They say it may hit their 2-million target by the end of 2017.
The number of tourists visiting the Kurdistan over the Ramadan holidays reached 243,000 people — many coming from the rest of Iraq — generating an estimated $73 million in tourism revenues.
While about 70 percent of the tourists come from the rest of Iraq, the rest are foreign tourists from Iran, Turkey and other parts of the world.
"Iraqi Kurdistan is one of the most breath-takingly beautiful and fun places I've ever visited in the Middle East," said Michael Knights, a Boston-based Lafer fellow of The Washington Institute, who has often visited and throughly researched Kurdistan and the wider Gulf region.
His remarks were made during a podcast released by his institute on Thursday.
"I would recommend a visit to Iraqi Kurdistan for almost any person who likes adventure tourism, or archaelogy, or hitch hiking," Knights continued.
Of Iraq’s 38,146,025 people, 99 percent are Muslim, according to US estimates in 2016.
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