Yazidi Festival Calendar: Sersal to Sinjar Memorial

The Êzîdî year follows its own solar-influenced calendar with festivals that partly go back to pre-Abrahamic Mesopotamian-Iranian seasonal traditions. At its center stands not a historical, but a cosmological date: the creation of the world and the descent of Tawûsî Melek to the earth.

Status: 2026-06-04 · Sirr taboo observed · ezdixan.de Wiki

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1. Foundations of the Êzîdî Calendar

Êzîdî sun symbol with 21 rays. The Êzîdî calendar is solar-oriented and aligned with a Julian-shifted scheme; the solar year and the spring renewal (Sersal) are its anchors. · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Êzîdî festival calendar is not a mere holiday schedule, but a theological framework: each main festival narrates a chapter of the Êzîdî account of the world and salvation. Creation (Sersal), the divine manifestation in the world (Cejna Êzî), the gathering of the community at the holiest place (Cejna Cemayê), and the seasonal fasting periods of the clergy (Çile periods) together form an annual cycle that weaves the rhythm of sun, sowing, and harvest together with sacred history [Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 145-152; Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 67-69].

1.1 Êzîdî Reckoning of Time

Êzîdî self-dating begins, depending on the source, at around 6,700–6,800 years (as of the mid-2020s), referring to a mythological-ritual starting point that is usually connected with creation or the creation of Adam. Comparable long religious calendars are the Jewish (around 5,780) and the Byzantine (around 7,530). The Êzîdî figure is to be understood symbolically and ritually, not historically and precisely: it marks the depth of the community’s own tradition, not a verifiable founding date [Lalish Cultural Center Duhok, Êzîdî Calendar 2021; Açıkyıldız 2010, p. 67].

1.2 Calendar System: Why an “Eastern Calendar”

• Êzîdîs historically oriented themselves to the Julian scheme (still widespread in Şingal/Sinjar and the region around Lalîş today). As a result, the Êzîdî festival dates fall roughly 13 days offset compared to the Gregorian calendar, the same offset that also separates Eastern Church festivals from the Western calendar [Spät 2018, pp. 145-149].
• Concretely this means: what traditionally falls on 1 April (Julian) corresponds today to 14 April (Gregorian). Sersal, the first Wednesday “at the beginning of April”, is therefore placed on the first Wednesday on or after 14 April (Gregorian) [Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”; Spät 2018, p. 156].
• The diaspora increasingly reckons purely by the Gregorian calendar and places festivals on the nearest weekend in order to accommodate work and school life.
• Full moon, the spring and autumn equinoxes, and the winter solstice carry ritual significance: Cejna Êzî, for example, is explicitly tied to the solstice (see 2.4) [Allison 2017, EI³ “Yazidism”; Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 145-152].

Important for context: “Eastern calendar” here refers exclusively to the Julian system of reckoning (shared with the Eastern Churches, Armenians, and others). It implies no content-related closeness to Christianity, the Êzîdî festivals have their own meaning rooted in the pre-Abrahamic past.

1.3 Structure of the Festival Year: Four Axes

The festival calendar can be read along four thematic axes that distinguish it from a mere holiday schedule:

1. Cosmological axis: Sersal (creation of the world, descent of Tawûsî Melek) and Cejna Êzî (divine manifestation in the world) mark the beginning and the “rebirth” of the light.
2. Community axis: Cejna Cemayê, the seven-day autumn gathering in Lalîş, unites the entire community at its holiest place.
3. Ascetic axis: the two 40-day fasting periods of the clergy (Çile Havîn in summer, Çile Zivistan in winter) as well as the obligatory three-day Êzî fast bind piety to the seasons.
4. Memorial axis: Belindê (the Flood), Mereka Şêx Adî (commemoration of the founder), and, since 2014, the Sinjar memorial day (3 August) keep both the sacred and the most recent history present.

This interlocking of the sun’s course, the sowing/harvest cycle, and salvation history is characteristic of the ancient-Near-Eastern-rooted religiosity of the region; scholarship structurally places Sersal in the line of Mesopotamian spring New Year festivals (see 2.1), but deliberately formulates such lines cautiously [Rodziewicz 2014, pp. 89-103; Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 145-152].

1.4 Sirr Status

Certain initiation rites and inner high-festival sequences are Sirr (secret, taboo for non-Êzîdîs). This overview presents the public aspects; the inner detail of the Heft Sirran rituals (the “seven mysteries”) deliberately remains restricted [Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 122-128].

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2. The Main Festivals Throughout the Year

Sersal (Çarşema Sor), Red Wednesday New Year festival in Lalîş, 18 April 2017. The Êzîdî festival year begins in April with Sersal, the most important festival of the community; further highlights: Cejna Cemayê in October, Cejna Êzî in December. · Photo: Levi Clancy · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source: Wikimedia Commons

2.1 Sersal / Çarşema Sor: Êzîdî New Year and Day of Creation

Date: First Wednesday on or after 14 April (Gregorian; historically corresponds to 1 April Julian). 2026: 15 April 2026 (Wednesday) [Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”; Spät 2018, p. 156].

Êzdîkî/Kurmancî names: Sersal (“head/beginning of the year”), Çarşema Sor (“Red Wednesday”) or Çarşema Serê Nîsanê (“Wednesday at the beginning of April”).

Convention note (strict): Sersal is not Newroz. Êzîdîs do not celebrate Newroz (21 March). Newroz is a Muslim-Kurdish spring festival with its own origin legend (the blacksmith Kawa against the tyrant Zahhak). Sersal, by contrast, has an independent connection to creation and falls weeks later. Equating “Sersal = Êzîdî Newroz” is factually wrong [Açıkyıldız 2010, p. 132; theamargi.com “Yazidi Çarşema Sor”].

Meaning, the day on which the world came into being: Sersal is the highest and oldest festival of the Êzîdîs and celebrates the creation of the world. According to Êzîdî myth, the earth had been “in the making” since Friday and was completed on Wednesday: on this day the sun’s rays touched the earth for the first time and colored the sky red, hence “Red Wednesday” [peacock-angel.org “Sere Sal”; nlka.net “Red Wednesday”]. At the same time Tawûsî Melek, the Peacock Angel, descended to the earth, spread his radiant wings over the still lifeless, “turbulent” earth, and blessed it with peace and fertility; the colors of the peacock and of the rainbow stand for this enlivening [peacock-angel.org “Sere Sal”]. Wednesday is not chosen by chance: Tawûsî Melek stands at the center of the seven holy beings, just as Wednesday stands in the middle of the week [pukmedia.com “Red Wednesday”].

In Êzîdî cosmogony the White Pearl (Dur) initially held God, or the entire potential of creation; its bursting released light, colors, and life. Sersal re-enacts precisely this primal event in the festival ritual [Spät 2018, pp. 156-160].

Possible ancient-Near-Eastern parallels (cautiously): Structurally, Sersal is regarded as one of the oldest surviving spring New Year festivals of Mesopotamia. The ritual symbolism of renewal shows similarities with the ancient Mesopotamian spring New Year festivals Akitu (Sumerian-Babylonian) and Zagmuk; the coloring of eggs, too, is associated with the ancient-Near-Eastern spring/fertility cult (Ishtar) [peacock-angel.org “Sere Sal”; Rodziewicz 2014, pp. 89-103]. These parallels are to be understood as a structural similarity in the history of religions, not as a direct historical derivation, scholarship formulates them deliberately with restraint [Rodziewicz 2014, pp. 89-103].

Rituals (public):

1. Egg painting (Hêkên Sor): eggs are boiled and dyed (red, blue, green, yellow). The dyed egg symbolizes the White Pearl: cracking the egg re-enacts the bursting of the Pearl, the beginning of life and the emergence of the colors. The colors stand for the rainbow that Tawûsî Melek created upon his descent [Spät, cited after Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”; peacock-angel.org “Sere Sal”].
2. Hekkane (egg tapping): a ritualized game in which eggs are knocked against one another; it symbolizes cosmic creation.
3. Doorstep blessing: a mixture of clay, crushed eggshells, red blossoms, and water is smeared onto door frames and house walls while sacred hymns are recited, to bless the house and (young) couples with luck and fertility [Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”].
4. Red flowers (poppies/anemones): the red blossoms that bloom only in April are gathered and used for the house blessing [peacock-angel.org “Sere Sal”].
5. Grave visit (usually at dawn / on the eve): families, often the women, go to the cemetery before sunrise with food, sweets, and lamps. It is said that the deceased and spirit beings return on this day; the living share the festive meal with the ancestors [nlka.net “Red Wednesday”; peacock-angel.org “Sere Sal”].
6. Oil lamps/candles in Lalîş: pilgrims light specially prepared wicks at the holy fire, placed on small stones, oil lamps, and bowls, accompanied by hymns with flute (şibab) and drum (def) [Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”].
7. Sancak washing: the holy Sancak is ritually washed with water from the Zemzem spring (Lalîş) [Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”].
8. Govend (circle dance), Sersal songs (“Sersal Pîroz”, “Çarşema Sor”), and the family gathering in the evening.

Foods:

• Sîmel: round festival bread with sesame, symbolizing the sun
• Hêkên Sor: dyed eggs
• Berbîjok: date pastry
• Helva and traditional sweets; in the diaspora lamb is a common festive dish [npr.org “For Yazidis in U.S., New Year…”]

Taboos:

• Sersal itself is traditionally considered an unlucky day for traveling: travel is avoided [Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”].
• No Êzîdî weddings take place during the whole month of April [Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”].
• Rest from work; the run-up (see Çarşema Reş) is marked by stillness.

[Spät 2018, pp. 156-162; Rodziewicz 2014; Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year”; peacock-angel.org “Sere Sal”]

2.2 Çarşema Reş: “Black Wednesday” (Week of Mourning Beforehand)

Date: The Wednesday one week before Sersal.

Meaning: Quiet preparation for creation. No festive activity, no dancing, no new haircut, no wedding. A day of inner purification and of remembrance of the deceased, before the festival of life, Sersal, follows.

Rituals:

• Stillness; fasting is possible but not obligatory.
• Thorough house cleaning in preparation for Sersal.
• No cheerful music.

[Spät 2018, p. 158; Açıkyıldız 2010, p. 134]

2.3 Roja Êzî: the Three-Day Êzî Fast

Date: Three days in December immediately before Cejna Êzî, traditionally from Tuesday to Thursday. 2026: presumably around 15–17 December 2026.

Meaning: The Rojiyên Êzî is an obligatory three-day fast in honor of Êzî/Sultan Êzîd: one of the names of God or of his earthly manifestation. It is a duty for all adult, healthy Êzîdîs; children, the sick, and the elderly are exempt (in some regions also pregnant women and travelers) [Wikipedia “Feast of Ezid”; Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 158-162].

Form: From sunrise to sunset food and drink are abstained from; after sunset the fast is broken within the family circle. The fast ends with the beginning of the festival Cejna Êzî [Wikipedia “Feast of Ezid”].

Foods for breaking the fast:

• Dates and water first
• Aşê Êzîd: Êzîdî festive soup/stew (with lentils, rice, lamb, among others)
• Sweets

[Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 138-141; Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 158-162; Wikipedia “Feast of Ezid”]

2.4 Cejna Êzî: Festival of Sultan Êzîd (Winter Festival of Light)

Date: First Friday after 13 December or the Friday before the winter solstice: immediately following the three-day fast. 2026: presumably 18 December 2026 (Friday), with festival days on the following days [Wikipedia “Feast of Ezid”].

Meaning: One of the most popular and important festivals of the Êzîdîs, a winter festival of light around the solstice. It honors Sultan Êzîd, who in Êzîdî theology is understood as the earthly manifestation / appearance of the divine (in close connection with Tawûsî Melek), not as the historical Umayyad caliph [Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 50-58]. The link to the winter solstice is rich in symbolism: with the days that grow longer again from the solstice onward, the idea of the “rebirth” of the sun and the appearance of divine figures is associated [Wikipedia “Feast of Ezid”].

On the theological context: Western scholarship usually derives the name Êzîdî from Yazîd ibn Muʿāwiya, whom the Êzîdîs, however, venerate as the incarnation of the divine Sultan Êzî; a minority derives the name from the Old Iranian yazata (“divine being”). What is decisive: in Êzîdî self-interpretation Sultan Êzîd is a purely spiritual entity [Kreyenbroek 1995, p. 3; pp. 50-58].

Rituals:

• Conclusion of the three-day fast; festive breaking of the fast within the family circle.
• Festive services and lamp-lighting in Lalîş; hymns, traditional music under the direction of the Baba Şêx.
• Community and family celebrations with dancing and music; prayers in the direction of Lalîş.

Foods:

• Aşê Êzîd (festive stew), festive meat, sweets.

[Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 156-167; Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 138-145; Wikipedia “Feast of Ezid”; bianet.org “Îda Êzî”]

2.5 Cejna Cemayê: the Great Gathering in Lalîş

Quba Mêrê Dîwanê, Aknalich, Armenia. Where a journey to Lalîş is not possible, communities celebrate Cejna Cemayê simultaneously at their own temples and centers. · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: Wikimedia Commons

Date: Seven days, traditionally 6–13 October, in honor of Şêx Adî. 2026: 6–13 October 2026 [Wikipedia “Cejna Cemayê”; kurdish-history.com “Cejna Cemaiye”].

Meaning: The greatest and holiest celebration of the Êzîdî year: the “gathering” or “festival of the community.” For seven days the entire Êzîdî community comes together at its holiest place, the valley of Lalîş (Şêxan, northern Iraq): for a festival of devotion, ritual, unity, and joy. It honors the holy Şêx Adî bin Musafir and is considered the heart of religious life. Ideally every Êzîdî makes a pilgrimage to Lalîş at least once in a lifetime; those who live in the region try to be there every year for the autumn gathering [Wikipedia “Cejna Cemayê”; kurdish-history.com “Cejna Cemaiye”; Allison 2001, pp. 51-58].

Leadership: The festival is presided over by the Mîr (secular and spiritual head), the Baba Şêx, and the spiritual council [kurdish-history.com “Cejna Cemaiye”].

Course over the seven days (publicly described elements):

1. Mor Kirin (baptism/ritual washing) at the holy spring Kaniya Spî (White Spring) and a holy greeting at the Zemzem spring [kurdish-history.com “Cejna Cemaiye”].
2. Perî Siwarkirin (around the 4th day), the festive attaching of colorful cloths (peri) to the shrines of the saints [Wikipedia “Cejna Cemayê”].
3. Qebaxgêran (around the 5th day), ritual bull/ox sacrifice at the shrine of Şêx Şems; the meat is distributed to the community as consecrated food (Simat) [Wikipedia “Cejna Cemayê”].
4. Berê Şibakê (around the 6th day), solemn procession of a holy copper grille to a holy water/pond [Wikipedia “Cejna Cemayê”].
5. Sema Êvarî: the solemn evening Sema dance: men dressed in white circle a torch, accompanied by drum (def) and flute (şibab) [Wikipedia “Cejna Cemayê”; kurdish-history.com “Cejna Cemaiye”].
6. Qewl recitations by the trained Qewals (the two Qewal groups Dimlî [Kurmanji-speaking] and Tazhî [Arabic-speaking] from Başîqa and Bahzanê), every evening, in addition, numerous holy lamps are lit [kurdish-history.com “Cejna Cemaiye”].
7. Closing sacrifice toward the end of the festival; taking home consecrated water and holy Lalîş earth (Berat) for the house blessing.

Sancak / Tawûsgêran: The procession of the holy Sancak (bronze peacock, symbol of the presence of Tawûsî Melek) and the inner sequences in the chambers of Lalîş are partly Sirr: only the Mîr, the Baba Şêx, and designated Qewals may be present; here only a structural description is deliberately given (see 2.11) [Açıkyıldız 2010, Ch. 4; Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 122-128].

Diaspora: Where a journey to Lalîş is not possible, the festival is held simultaneously in community centers, with festive meals, Sema, and songs, among other places in Hannover, Stockholm, Tbilisi, and Yerevan.

Foods: Rice (Berf) as a sign of purity, festival bread, lamb stew; the consecrated sacrificial meat (Simat).

[Wikipedia “Cejna Cemayê”; kurdish-history.com “Cejna Cemaiye”; Allison 2001, pp. 51-58; Açıkyıldız 2010, Ch. 4; Rodziewicz 2016]

2.6 Cejna Belindê (Eyda Belindê): Belindê Festival

Date: Spring/early summer, varying regionally (around April–May).

Meaning: A commemorative festival closely connected with the Êzîdî Flood tradition and the serpent myth: according to the tradition, a black serpent sealed the leak in the ship (the ark) and thus saved the Êzîdî ancestors, a motif that is also immortalized in the serpent relief at the entrance of Lalîş [Spät 2018, pp. 162-165; servantgroup.org “Yezidi Mythology”]. The Belindê festival is smaller than Sersal and strongly family-oriented.

Rituals:

• Family memorial festival with an animal sacrifice (lamb).
• Special prayers; in the region at holy places/mountains, in the diaspora analogously.

[Spät 2018, pp. 162-165; Rodziewicz 2016, Fritillaria Kurdica 13-14, pp. 35-67]

2.7 Xidir Nebî / Xidir-Eliyas: Festival of the Protective Saints

Date: February (varying regionally). 2026: around mid-February (3 days).

Meaning: A festival in honor of Xidir Nebî / Xidir Eliyas, who in the Êzîdî tradition is regarded as the Xudan (protector) of water, of rivers and seas and as a Zindî (immortal), an independent Êzîdî protective figure (not to be understood in a Qur’anic sense) [List of Yazidi holy figures, Wikipedia; Spät 2018, pp. 152-155]. Xidir is associated especially with the protection of travelers, the shipwrecked, and lovers.

Rituals:

• Sweet dishes are prepared and distributed to the needy.
• Young, unmarried Êzîdîs address wishes for love and marriage to Xidir Nebî (and Pîrê Libnan) [Wikipedia “List of Yazidi holy figures”].
• Sweet rice/grain porridge (Aşûrî) with dates, pomegranate seeds, and nuts.

Sirr status: A public festival, no restrictions.

[Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 169-172; Spät 2018, pp. 152-155; Wikipedia “List of Yazidi holy figures”]

2.8 Çile Havîn: the 40 Days of Summer

Date: Midsummer, traditionally around 1 July – 10 August. 2026: 1 July – 10 August 2026.

Meaning: A 40-day midsummer/heat period. Above all the clergy (Pîrs, Şêxs, Feqîrs) keep a 40-day summer fast (Çilê Havînê) during this time as a period of spiritual concentration and withdrawal; the people practice increased charity. The fasting of the “coldest/hottest forty days” deliberately binds religious practice to the cycles of nature [Kurdistan24 “Winter Forty-Day Feast”; Yazidi social organization, Wikipedia; Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 145-148].

Rituals:

• 40-day rigor of meditation/fasting by the clergy.
• Increased readiness to give and help within the community.
• The Sinjar memorial day (3 August) falls within this period since 2014 (see 2.12).

[Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 145-148; Wikipedia “Yazidi social organization”]

2.9 Çile Zivistan: the 40 Days of Winter

Date: From the winter solstice, traditionally around 21 December – 30 January. 2026/27: 21 December 2026 – 30 January 2027.

Meaning: A winter solstice period of inner contemplation. Here too the clergy, under the direction of the Baba Şêx, holds a 40-day winter fast (Çilê Zivistanê) on the coldest days of the year, as a symbol of the renewal of the earth and of the annual cycle. It concludes with a “Winter Forty-Day Festival” with holy recitations, music, and the lighting of the temple lamps in Lalîş [Kurdistan24 “Yazidis Mark Winter Forty-Day Feast”; Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 148-152]. Roja Êzî and Cejna Êzî fall at the beginning of this period.

[Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 148-152; Kurdistan24 “Winter Forty-Day Feast”]

2.10 Mereka Şêx Adî: Şêx Adî Memorial Day

Date: Variable, varying regionally (often in spring).

Meaning: Commemoration of Şêx Adî bin Musafir (d. 1162, buried in Lalîş), the theological consolidator of the transmitted Êzîdîsm. Pilgrimage to the grave in Lalîş; closely connected with the significance of Lalîş as the central sanctuary (see also Cejna Cemayê, 2.5).

[Açıkyıldız 2010, Ch. 5; Spät 2018, pp. 78-89]

2.11 Tawûsgêran: the Peacock Procession (Sancak/Tawaf)

Date: Historically several times a year, depending on the route of the Sancak through the Êzîdî villages; today mainly around the time of Cejna Cemayê.

Meaning: Holy bronze Sancaks (peacock statuettes) are carried through Êzîdî regions, a sign of the present presence of Tawûsî Melek. The procession is strictly Sirr: no photos, no detailed description of the inner sequences. Historically there were several Sancaks; some were lost in the 19th century during the persecutions, and only a few are still in Êzîdî possession today [Açıkyıldız 2010, Ch. 4; Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 122-128].

Convention note: The Peacock Angel Tawûsî Melek is by no means “the devil”: this equation is a centuries-old external defamation. Tawûsî Melek is the foremost of the holy beings and the vicegerent of Xwedê (God) on earth [Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 45-58].

[Sirr taboo: only a structural description. Açıkyıldız 2010, Ch. 4; Kreyenbroek 1995, pp. 122-128]

2.12 3 August: Sinjar Genocide Commemoration (since 2014)

Date: 3 August every year. A new memorial day since the Sinjar genocide of 2014.

Meaning: Remembrance of the ISIS attack on Sinjar/Şingal (3 August 2014): in the Êzîdî count the 73rd or 74th Ferman (massacre/wave of annihilation):

• at least 5,000 Êzîdîs murdered,
• over 7,000 women and girls enslaved,
• over 400,000 displaced,
• more than 70 documented mass graves,
• 2,500+ women and children still missing (as of 2025).

Rituals:

• Worldwide minute of silence; candles, Sinjar laments.
• Commemorative events in the diaspora cities (Hannover, Stockholm, Lincoln/Nebraska, Yerevan, Tbilisi).
• Political vigils, often with representatives of local governments.

International recognition as genocide by, among others: Germany (Bundestag, 19.01.2023), the Netherlands, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Australia, Scotland, Armenia, Switzerland.

[UN OHCHR A/HRC/32/CRP.2 (2016); Bundestag printed paper 20/5228 (19.01.2023); Yazda Reports 2024]

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3. Regional Variants of the Festival Calendar

3.1 Şingal / Sinjar (Iraq)

• Strictly Julian; intensive observance of the Çile markings.
• Sinjar-2014 commemoration especially pronounced; local shrine festivals (Mam Reşan, Şerfedîn).

3.2 Şêxan / Lalîş region (Iraq)

• Lalîş lies here; all main festivals with physical presence.
• Cejna Cemayê directly at the sanctuary; the Mîr family and the Baba Şêx are resident locally.

3.3 Bahzanî / Behzanê

• Home of the Qewal families; special festivals around the Qewal tradition.
• Aşûrî porridge at Xidir Nebî especially pronounced.

3.4 Aparan / Yerevan (Armenia)

• Sersal partly merged with Soviet-era tradition.
• Its own temple Quba Mêrê Dîwanê (Aknalich, since 2019) for community festivals.

3.5 Tbilisi (Georgia)

• The Sultan Êzîd temple (Tbilisi, opened June 2015) as a community center; festival calendar as in Aparan.

3.6 Diaspora (Germany / Sweden / USA)

• Main festivals in community centers (Hannover, Stockholm, Lincoln/Nebraska).
• Adaptation to the Western calendar; frequent shifting of the holidays to the weekend.

[Açıkyıldız 2010, pp. 173-189; Pîrbarî 2008; Maisel 2017]

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4. Relationship to Non-Êzîdî Festivals

4.1 Êzîdîs do not celebrate:

Festival	Reason
Newroz (21 March)	Muslim-Kurdish festival, different origin legend (Kawa vs. creation), Sersal is NOT Newroz
Ramadan / ʿĪd al-Fitr	Islamic tradition
ʿĪd al-Adha	Islamic
Passover / Shavuot	Jewish
Christmas	Christian
Easter	Christian (the egg painting at Sersal is an independent Êzîdî tradition, not an Easter custom)

Important: Êzîdîs in Muslim or Christian majority societies observe these festivals respectfully as a social reality (school holidays, public holidays), but do not celebrate them religiously.

4.2 Êzîdîs respectfully observe

• 27 January: International Holocaust Remembrance Day (often with reference to the Sinjar genocide).
• 24 April: Armenian Genocide commemoration (solidarity, among other reasons because of the shared experience of 1915).

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5. Festival Calendar 2026/27: Overview Table

Date 2026	Festival	Duration	Meaning (brief)	Status
~mid-February	Xidir Nebî / Xidir-Eliyas	3 days	Protective saint of water; wishes of lovers	recommended
~8 April	Çarşema Reş	1 day	Quiet week of mourning beforehand	Stillness
15 April	Sersal / Çarşema Sor	1 day	Creation of the world; Tawûsî Melek comes to the earth	Obligatory/High festival
April–May (variable)	Cejna Belindê	1 day	Flood/serpent myth	recommended
1 July – 10 Aug	Çile Havîn	40 days	Summer fast of the clergy	spiritual
3 August	Sinjar commemoration	1 day	Genocide commemoration (since 2014)	modern obligatory commemoration
6–13 October	Cejna Cemayê	7 days	Great gathering in Lalîş; pilgrimage	highest pilgrimage festival
~15–17 Dec	Roja Êzî	3-day fast	Obligatory fast before Cejna Êzî	Obligatory
~18 Dec	Cejna Êzî	Festival	Sultan Êzîd; winter festival of light	Obligatory/High festival
21 Dec – 30 Jan 2027	Çile Zivistan	40 days	Winter fast of the clergy	spiritual

Note: Since the calendar is Julian-oriented and some festivals are tied to the solstice/lunar phase, the Gregorian dates may deviate by a few days depending on the source and region. The local spiritual determination is in each case authoritative.

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6. State of Research

The Êzîdî festival calendar has only been systematically described academically since the 1990s. Central works:

• Kreyenbroek 1995: theological embedding, the Sultan Êzîd question, festival observances.
• Allison 2001: oral tradition, Aparan/Bahzanî material, Cejna Cemayê.
• Açıkyıldız 2010: the standard work on history, sanctuary, and festival calendar.
• Spät 2018: regional variability, Sersal symbolism (White Pearl).
• Rodziewicz 2014–22: Mesopotamian-Iranian roots, mythology, symbolism of creation.
• Omarkhali 2017: textual basis of the Qewls and festival prayers.

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7. Sirr Taboo

• Inner details of the Sancak procession (which hymn in which Sancak chamber), Sirr.
• The content of the Heft Sirran mysteries during Cejna Cemayê, Sirr.
• Specific initiation rituals (e.g., Mor Kirin in its inner form), not described in detail.
• Defamatory external terms (equating Tawûsî Melek = “the devil”) are not used.

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Sources

No.	Source	Trust
1	Açıkyıldız, B. (2010) The Yazidis, I.B. Tauris, ISBN 978-1-848-85274-7	A
2	Allison, C. (2001) The Yezidi Oral Tradition in Iraqi Kurdistan, Curzon, ISBN 0-7007-1397-2	A
3	Kreyenbroek, P. (1995) Yezidism: Its Background, Observances, Textual Tradition, Edwin Mellen, ISBN 0-7734-9004-3	A
4	Spät, E. (2018) The Yezidis, Saqi, ISBN 978-0-86356-593-4	A
5	Rodziewicz, A. (2014/16/22) Articles in Fritillaria Kurdica + Iran & Caucasus	A
6	Omarkhali, K. (2017) The Yezidi Religious Textual Tradition, Harrassowitz, ISBN 978-3-447-10856-0	A
7	Maisel, S. (2017) Yezidis in Syria, Lexington Books, ISBN 978-1-498-50253-2	A
8	Allison, C. (2017) “Yazidism”, Encyclopaedia of Islam THREE, Brill	A
9	Lalish Cultural Center Duhok (2021) Êzîdî Calendar (festival calendar edition)	B
10	UN OHCHR A/HRC/32/CRP.2 (2016) They Came to Destroy: ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis, Geneva	A
11	Bundestag printed paper 20/5228 (19.01.2023), Êzîdî genocide recognition	A
12	Yazda Reports 2020-2024 on the situation in Sinjar	B
13	Wikipedia “Yazidi New Year” / “Cejna Cemayê” / “Feast of Ezid” / “List of Yazidi holy figures”	C
14	peacock-angel.org, “Fertility and Renewal: The Yezidi New Year Festival Sere Sal” (E. Spät cited)	B
15	kurdish-history.com, “Cejna Cemaiye: The Yazidi Feast of the Assembly”	C
16	Kurdistan24, “Yazidis Mark Winter Forty-Day Feast” / “Winter Fast at Lalish”	C
17	nlka.net / theamargi.com / pukmedia.com, Sersal/Çarşema Sor reports	C
18	Pîrbarî, D. (2008) Êzîdiyên Sovêtê, Yerevan	B

Trust: A = peer-reviewed academic · B = institutional/NGO/recognized community · C = journalistic/online community.

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Status: 2026-06-04 · Êzîdî conventions: Sersal (not Newroz) · proper names in Latin script (Lalîş, Şêx Adî, Çarşema Sor) · Tawûsî Melek ≠ devil · Xwedê ≠ Allah · Sirr taboo respected.

2.7a Eida Xidir Eliyas: Obligatory Fasting Rojiyên Xidir and the Halva Ritual (February)

Supplement to 2.7: Whereas that section primarily describes the protective function and the wish-petitions of lovers, this section deals with the three-day fasting phase (Rojiyên Xidir Nebî) and the distinct flour/halva ritual that make the festival complete.

Date: The second week of February according to the Eastern (Julian) calendar; the festival itself traditionally falls on the second Thursday in February. The ritual cycle begins on Sunday, which the Yazidis understand as the first day of the week and as the “Day of Purity” (Roja Paqijiyê); on the three days that follow (Monday–Wednesday) people fast, and on Thursday the festival is celebrated [yazidis.info “Rojie Khidr Nabi”; Wikipedia “Eid Khidr Elias”; Kurdistan24 “Yezidis Mark Eid Khidr Elias”].

Two riders, two domains of protection: In Yazidi tradition, Xidir Nebî and Xidir Eliyas are two saints on a white horse (Xidir Nebî û Xidir Eylas siyarê hespêd boz). Xidir Nebî is regarded as the fulfiller of wishes and patron of lovers, Xidir Eliyas as the patron of sea travelers [yazidis.info “Rojie Khidr Nabi”; bernamegeh.org “Xidir Eylaz û Xidir Nebî”].

The fasting (Rojiyên Xidir):

• Three days of fasting from sunrise to sunset; before sunrise and after sunset, eating and drinking are permitted.
• The fast is not considered strictly obligatory for everyone in the way the Êzî fast is; especially bound are people bearing the names Xidir or Eliyas as well as young Yazidis who attach a personal vow to the fast.
• Young fasting participants additionally abstain from water on the final day and break the fast with a salted flatbread [yazidis.info “Rojie Khidr Nabi”].

Halva and flour ritual (pixîn/poxîn → halva): On the night of the festival, a sweet flour dish made of flour roasted in plenty of oil, pixîn/poxîn (also called Pekhûn or Çarxoos), is prepared, placed in a wooden trough, and set up in the middle of the room. A widespread belief holds that the white horse of Xidir Nebî leaves a hoofprint in the flour during the night; if the family finds such a trace in the morning, it is taken as a blessing (“the blessing and grace of the Prophet Xidir have come into my house this night”). After the fast ends, halva is made from the pixîn and distributed to neighbors, relatives, and the needy [yazidis.info “Rojie Khidr Nabi”; hawarnews.com “Khidir Elias Eid”].

In some regions, qawît (also poxîn) made from roasted wheat and barley is prepared as part of the menu; in some places the village grinds seven different kinds of grains/legumes before the festival (wheat as the base, plus chickpeas, lentils, fava beans, maize, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, among others) into a single shared flour [Kurdistan24 “Yezidis Mark Eid Khidr Elias”].

Dream oracle of those of marriageable age: On the eve of the festival, young unmarried women and men eat salted, sour baked goods (qursik); whoever offers them water in a dream the following night is regarded as their future spouse. This love/marriage oracle ties directly into Xidir Nebî’s role as patron of lovers [bernamegeh.org “Xidir Eylaz û Xidir Nebî”; yazidis.info “Rojie Khidr Nabi”].

Further customs: The festival is considered a day of reconciliation and hospitality (help for strangers and the hungry); during the celebration a complete ban on slaughter applies (no animal sacrifice), which distinguishes Xidir Eliyas from festivals such as Belindê or the Cejna Cemayê [Kurdistan24 “Yazidi Kurds Celebrate Khidr Elias Festival”; hawarnews.com “Khidir Elias Eid”].

[yazidis.info “Rojie Khidr Nabi/Khidr Ailas”; Wikipedia “Eid Khidr Elias”; Kurdistan24 “Yezidis Mark Eid Khidr Elias” / “Khidr Elias Festival”; hawarnews.com “Khidir Elias Eid”; bernamegeh.org “Xidir Eylaz û Xidir Nebî”; Spät 2018, pp. 152-155]