Meaning of ÇARŞEMA SOR

Dr. Kheder Murad Saad

Board Member of the Society of Ezidyan Academcis (GEA)

ÇARŞEMA SOR

Sar Saale The Ezidi New Year's Day, in Kurdish (Sar Saale) also called Charshema Sor or the Red Wednesday is oldest feast in Mesopotamia, this festival brings nature and man together, jubilant with the light of the sun and the blooming of flowers on mountains and valleys, it’s a true feeling of renewed life cycle in bilateral eternal movement.

In the Ezidi philosophy, on this new day, the story of creation begins. In the beginning, God created from his own precious soul a white pearl. He created a bird called ANQR upon whose back he placed his pearl, and there he dwelt for forty thousand years. He gave a great shout before the pearl, after which it split into four pieces. He made water flow from its inside, and that water became the sea. The world was round with no separator. He created Jibrâ´îl after the image of a bird, in whose hands He placed the four corners of the earth. After that He created a ship in which He rode thirty thousand years after which He came and lived in Lâlish, the mountain. God lifted up His voice and the sea became solid and turned into the earth. They are still quivering. Then He commanded Jibrâ´î l to bring him two pieces of the white pearl. He placed one below the earth and the other He placed at the door of heaven. Then he placed in both of them the sun and the moon. From the scattered fragments of the white pearl He created the stars which He suspended in the sky for decoration. And He created fruit trees and plants on land and mountains to beautify the earth.

The new year comes at the beginning of the month of April, where it is believed that the year was a 52-week, 364 days, which means it begins each year on the same day. The new year day falls on Wednesday, comes after several days of the vernal equinox (21 March Nowruz). For this year, this is the start of year 6763 in Ezidi Calendar. In this holy day, where all work ceases, is a day of rest, reflection and worship, the celebrations begin on Tuesday evening, where the glow of lights from candles in Lalish Valley, turns into torch of light to welcome the new year announcing the birth of spring and the new cycle of life and rebirth. This day truly symbolizes the story of man and nature creation, immortality, death, rebirth and incarnation, with a renewed cycle of life and fertility in nature in Mesopotamia.

Ezidis from all over the world travel, from mountain villages, towns and cities in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Europe to celebrate in Lalish, in Kurdistan province of northern Iraq. Ezidis believe in the same God as Muslims, Christians, and Jews, but they believe they were the first people God created. Along with Babylonian rituals, and elements of other religions, they worship the sun, the source of all life on Earth.

The Ezidi new year also coincides with the Jews Passover day, Christians also celebrate all over the world the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead after his death on the cross, and precedes the celebration of Easter Holy period.

This day is also associated with the Spring Festival in some nations, including the peoples of central and northern Europe, Easter. The roots of this habit preceded Christianity, people celebrated the coming of spring and the return of fertility. They used colored eggs to symbolize fertility. Remains of decorated eggs in tombs dating back to the period before the spread of Christianity, which tried to give the habit a new religious content, called Easter consciousness. One can argue that all these different festivities perhaps have one rout and origin. This origin is linked to nature, the sun and spring coming back and the end of winter months. The appearance of the spring and the blossoming of life and nature are in tandem.


Let the coming of the our beloved new year be a symbol of renewed  love and call for brotherhood between all spectra of Mesopotamia people and all religious and national affiliations against injustice and oppression, hatred and sectarianism. The civilization and cultural heritage cannot be written off by the forces of darkness. Because the sun light will shine inevitably to announce the victory of the spring and life on the backwardness and hatred and darkness.

 

Gesellschaft Ezidischer AkademkerInnen (GEA)
Society of Ezidyan Academics (GEA)
Civaka Akadimikaren Ezdiyan (GEA)
 
رابطة الآكاديميين الإيزيديين (GEA)

Essen, 19.04.2013

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