The Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) Command made a statement on the occasion of the Yazidi New Year, ‘Çarşema Serê Nîsanê’ festival, which marks the New Year in the Yazidi culture, and the day on which the creation of the earth was completed in Yazidi faith.

The YBŞ statement on Wednesday said the following:

“First of all, we congratulate the Yazidi community, the Yazidi martyrs, their families and friends on the Çarşema Serê Nîsanê holiday. As we celebrate it every year with great enthusiasm and morale, this year we celebrate the holiday of our people with our sincerest wishes.

This holiday is the true identity of the culture and history of society. At the same time, it expresses common life and unity. In this sense, our society welcomes and celebrates the Çarşema Serê Nîsanê holiday with great enthusiasm.

At every moment of history, our society has embraced these celebrations and made all kinds of sacrifices to protect its own sacred values and beliefs.

Today, the important thing is to live together by ensuring national unity. In order to achieve this, a great struggle was waged and great prices were paid. Today, if we can celebrate our holy days in our lands with such great enthusiasm and devotion, it is thanks to the prices paid.

Our Yazidi community has an ancient culture, identity and belief. In order for us to live and keep these alive, we must embrace each other with great enthusiasm and morale under all circumstances and conditions.

Just as we have embraced and defended our society under all conditions and circumstances until today, we will walk together with our society with the same determination and enhance our struggle.”

Çarşema Sor

“Çarşema Sor” in Kurdish means “Red Wednesday”. “Çarşem” consists of the Kurdish words “çar” for “four” and “şem” for “day”, meaning the “fourth day of the week”, which is Wednesday. “Sor” means red. The day is also called “Sersal” (Kurdish “ser”: up, head and/or top; and “sal”: year), meaning “New Year”.

New Year Time

The Yazidi New Year is celebrated on the first Wednesday in April, which, according to the Yazidi calendar, is always the first day of April and the New Year. Since the Yazidi calendar follows the Gregorian calendar by 13 days, the New Year is celebrated on the first Wednesday in April, which falls on or after April 14th in the Gregorian calendar. In Kurdish, the month of April is called “Nîsan”. The first day of the month “Nîsan” is the “Çarşema Sor”.

Mythology

According to Yazidi mythology, the “red Wednesday” is the day on which the creation of the earth was completed: The sun’s rays reached the earth for the first time, turning the firmament red. The name “Red Wednesday” comes from this. Furthermore, it was the day on which the head of the Yazidi archangels, Tawisî Melek (God’s angel), first came to earth. Tawisî Melek is the center of the seven archangels, so he represents Wednesday, the middle of the week or the center of the seven archangels. Wednesday is the rest day of the Yazidis, similar to Sunday for Christians.