First Yezidi-Kurdish couple tie knot in liberated Shingal
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Kurdish-Yezidi couple have tied the knot in Shingal, believed to the first wedding in the town since its liberation after more than a year under the brutal heel of the Islamic State group (ISIS).
Naser and Vian who have been sweethearts for long said they decided on a simple ceremony in their hometown, which was liberated in November 2015 by the Peshmerga.
"We returned back to our land, we won't leave it, we won't convert from Yezidism,” said Vian, the bride. “Here is our home, we won't go anywhere else. Instead of holding the ceremony in some elegant wedding hall we decided to have a simple ceremony here.”
Several other Yezidi couples also expressed an eagerness to tie the knot in Shingal.
"Many of my friends wanted to have the first wedding ceremony in Shingal after it was liberated,” said the groom.
Yezidis who were forced to abandon their homes and flee after the ISIS takeover say that Naser and Vian's marriage is a good sign.
According to some statistics from Shingal officials, some 4,000 Yezidi families have returned to their areas.
Yezidi refugees who are mostly housed in refugee camps in the Kurdistan Region are returning to their homes, gradually bringing normality to their devastated town.
ISIS unleashed a rampage of murder, looting and the kidnapping of girls and women after invading Shingal.
Naser and Vian who have been sweethearts for long said they decided on a simple ceremony in their hometown, which was liberated in November 2015 by the Peshmerga.
"We returned back to our land, we won't leave it, we won't convert from Yezidism,” said Vian, the bride. “Here is our home, we won't go anywhere else. Instead of holding the ceremony in some elegant wedding hall we decided to have a simple ceremony here.”
Several other Yezidi couples also expressed an eagerness to tie the knot in Shingal.
"Many of my friends wanted to have the first wedding ceremony in Shingal after it was liberated,” said the groom.
Yezidis who were forced to abandon their homes and flee after the ISIS takeover say that Naser and Vian's marriage is a good sign.
According to some statistics from Shingal officials, some 4,000 Yezidi families have returned to their areas.
Yezidi refugees who are mostly housed in refugee camps in the Kurdistan Region are returning to their homes, gradually bringing normality to their devastated town.
ISIS unleashed a rampage of murder, looting and the kidnapping of girls and women after invading Shingal.