April 9, 2023
News
Did you know that Iraqis celebrate Easter? The Christian minority in Iraq marks it on the 50th day of fasting. What does Easter look like in Iraq and what dishes are traditionally prepared during this holiday?
Easter is about forgiveness
The Friday night before Easter, people stay up in church and pray. This day is called Good Friday, the day on which Christians annually observe the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Then comes Saturday of the Holy Light. On Saturday afternoon, there is a mass in church, then later at night, there is another mass, hymn, and a march with candles for Easter in churches.
“Easter is about forgiveness,” says Pastor Esha Dawood Philips (representative of the Magio Orgis Church) from Shorsh, Erbil, Iraq. "So everyone should forgive others with whom they are in dispute. Resurrection, life, and renewal are words for this night," continues Pastor Esha.
Preparation for Easter in Iraq starts in the middle of the fasting period. People begin to colour eggs, especially with red colour. “Nowadays, people colour eggs with different colours and designs, but eggs are supposed to be red because they symbolize the blood of Jesus,” says Pastor Esha. The Yazidi people have the same tradition of colouring eggs with red for their new year, on the 1st of April every year, and call it Red Wednesday.
Traditional dishes and sweets
Every region in Iraq has its traditional food for Easter, especially those involving meat. In some places, they cook “Dkhwa”, a dish made from dried yogurt, beef, and wheat. In other areas locals prepare “Pacha”, a famous traditional Iraqi dish made from boiled cow or sheep's heads, feet, and stomachs. For sweets, Iraqi Christians make Kuleicha and Kada. Kuleicha is prepared by almost all ethnic groups and religions in Iraq for their special occasions.
Families make Kada precisely on the 25th day of fasting and put a small cross sign made of grape sticks inside. Then, they cut the Kada into pieces according to the number of family members. The person who finds the cross in their piece will get a gift from the family members.
On the morning of Easter, after the prayer and mass, people visit the families of relatives who recently lost their loved ones. Afterwards, they visit the sick who could not come to church. Then the whole family gathers at the home of their parents or older brother to have lunch together. The same tradition applies for Muslims in both Eids (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the two main holidays celebrated by Muslims), they all gather at the house of the oldest family member to cook and eat together. Thus, we can see the influence of cultures and religions on each other in Iraq.
