Yazidis prepare for October Jamayi Feast at Lalish Temple

SHEKHAN—Yazidi communities are making preparations for the Jamayi Feast, set to take place from October 6 to 13, 2024, at Lalish Temple in Shekhan district, Nineveh province. The weeklong religious festival, also known as “the Gathering and Feast of Seven Days,” is referred to by Yazidis as “ziyaret” or “the pilgrimage.”

During this sacred period, Yazidis from around the world strive to travel to Lalish, their holiest site. According to Yazidi tradition, the Seven Great Angels gather at the heavenly Lalish during this time to bless those assembled at the earthly Lalish. The feast is an opportunity for Yazidis to renew friendships and for community leaders to hold important meetings.

Efforts are underway to clean and restore religious sites and shrines in many Yazidi-populated areas. Among the key locations being prepared are the Kichk Dome of Lalish, the Mahmarshan Dome in Sinjar’s Qibla area, and the Sheshms site near the Sharafaddin shrine—each of high importance to the Yazidi faith.

“Preparations began at the start of autumn,” Zardasht Sheikh Shamo, head of the Khanke subdistrict, home to a large Yazidi population, told 964media. “Restoration work, such as cleaning religious sites, is being carried out every Friday and Saturday.”

Shamo also noted that the Kurdistan Regional Government has officially granted a one-week leave for all Yazidi employees to participate in the Jamayi Feast.

The event, beginning on October 6, will last one week, and Yazidi men, women, children, and elders dressed in traditional attire are expected to gather at Lalish Temple for the celebration.

Lalish Temple, the holiest site for Yazidis, serves as a central place for important religious ceremonies and pilgrimages. The temple complex houses several shrines, courtyards, and the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a key figure in the Yazidi faith who is credited with reforming the religion in the 12th century.