Iraqi Christians celebrate Akitu feast, the Assyrian New Year in Dohuk

Описание: (1 Apr 2024)

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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dohuk, Iraq - 1 April 2024
1. People performing traditional group dance on street
2. Boy playing Zurna instrument during celebration
3. Women holding Assyrian flag and dancing
4. Man beating on drum
5. People celebrating and dancing
SOUNDBITE (English) Maryam, participant from Canada ++PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOT 5++
"I feel proud to be Assyrian. I feel proud that hundreds of people from abroad, Assyrians from all over the world are here, back in their homeland to celebrate with their brothers and sisters that still live in the homeland, to celebrate this huge day, the Assyrian New Year."
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Eisha Oshana, participant from Dohuk:
"My wish, like any Iraqi citizen living in this country, is for goodness, safety and security for our people in all their sects and religions. This (celebration) is a symbol of renewal for our history, civilization and the whole of Iraq."
7. Parade
STORYLINE:
Thousands of Iraqi Christians celebrated the ancient Akitu feast, which marks the Assyrian New Year, in Dohuk, in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq .

April 1 marks the start of the new year in the Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations, making this Monday the start of the year 6774.

People donned traditional outfits to mark the celebration by dancing traditional dance on the streets of Dohuk.

Akitu is the name of a Babylonian temple located just outside the city of Babylon in Mesopotamia or Iraq.

Akitu is also the spring festival in ancient Mesopotamia.

Iraq's Christian population has dwindled from around 1.5 million before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that plunged the country into chaos to just a few hundred thousand today.


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