Yezidis is a nationality whose historical homeland is Mesopotamia. These are the direct descendants of the ancient Babylonians. Religion itself is called "Yezidism" and is a kind of echo of the state religion of Ancient Babylon, which has its roots in long-gone millennia. According to another version, the emergence of this faith is associated with a mixture of pre-Islamic beliefs and Sufi teachings with Christian Gnostic views.
Who are the Yezidis
The nationality of Yezidis is mainly spread in the territories of Iraq, Turkey, Syria, but people of this faith also live in Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and some European countries.
Recent abundance data indicate the presence of 0.3-0.5 million Yezidis. It is generally accepted that they are a separate group of Kurds. But each Yezidi considers its nationality unique, categorically denying kinship with the Kurds. Now at the international level they are recognized as representatives of a separate ethno-confessional group. The efforts of the orientalists of Armenia played a significant role in this, for which this discovery served as one of the important factors in maintaining national security. The reason for this is the withdrawal from Armenia of a serious threat to have a reputation of a country with a “Kurdish factor”.
But still, many researchers insist on a Kurd-Yezid relationship. For example, N. Ya. Marr believes that Yezidism is a Kurdish religion, which was practiced by most Kurds before they adopted Islam.
Nationality "Yezidi": roots
The origin of the name of this people is also a controversial issue. According to the first version, the word “Yezidi” has Persian roots and means “god” in translation. The second version says that the name of the people comes from the names of the geniuses of good and light, one of the most important heroes of the Zoroastrian teachings. Adherents of the third version claim that it came from the name of the caliph Yazid, who was the son of the caliph of Moabia. But, as you know, consonance does not always mean the kinship of concepts, so the latest version has many opponents. There are other reasons why the Yezidis themselves do not want to believe in the connection of their nationality with the name of the bloodthirsty killer of the Caliph Yazid.
One thing is clear: this nationality is one of the oldest. These people are doing everything possible to preserve their identity, language, rituals, traditions and holidays. Yezidis - nationality (photo below) is very united and lively.
Lalesh - the main shrine of the Yezidis
Most shrines are located in northern Iraq. The largest is Lalesha Nurani. The people call it blessed or holy Lalesh. Each Yezidi is obliged to make a pilgrimage to this place at least once in his life. If we draw parallels, then we can say that the importance of Lalesh is commensurate with the significance of Jerusalem among Christians, Mecca among Muslims or Mount Fuji among Shintoists. Lalesh is the location of the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Muzaffar, who is considered the founder and reformer of this religion.
Holiday "Aida Ezida"
In mid-December is the main holiday of this people. It is called "Aida Ezida." It is considered the day of reconciliation. Celebrated on the second Friday of December. The last three days before the holiday is the time of strict fasting. Until the sun goes down, it is forbidden to eat, whatever to drink, smoke. On Thursday evening, clergy and laity spend with the clergy, singing religious hymns and dancing. Friday is a day of visiting fellow nationals who have recently lost someone close to them. A week after "Aida Ezid" comes another important holiday - "Aida Shams", considered the day of the Sun. The ceremonial preparation for it is almost the same.
Holiday "Hidir Nabi"
“Hidir Nabi” is a holiday that is honored by all Yezidis. Nationality, faith, way of thinking - all this, according to the given people, should be the main choice of each person. And Hidir Nabi is the name of a patron angel who helps to fulfill righteous desires in case of a right choice. Nabi is the patron saint of lovers, reunites the halves of one whole. On a holiday, every young guy and every girl should eat salty flat cakes in order to see their fate in a dream. For experts, some similarities with the holiday of St. Sargis, which exists among Armenians, are obvious.
New Year
Like many ancient peoples, the Yezidis reckon not in winter, but in spring, or rather, in April. New Year coincides with the national holiday, celebrated on the first Wednesday of the month. The history of its occurrence is associated with the name of Malak-Tavus - the servant of God, who directly fulfills the will of the Supreme Supreme. Malak-Tavusa is translated as Tsar-Peacock. Under this name, the Yezidis honor Ezrail as the highest among the seven angels created by the Most High. He is considered a fallen angel. He is identified with Lucifer in Christianity and Shaitan in Islam. It was this belief that caused many neighboring peoples to think of the Yezidis as "thistles." Who knows … Nationality (the Yezidis, in any case, do not exactly consider themselves to be in this category) can hardly be called such, because religion itself has many friendly and good traditions. They themselves are sure that at the end of time there will be a reconciliation of God with the fallen angel. Because of this, it is strictly forbidden in the Yezidi religion to curse Satan. By the way, often representatives of other religions zealously criticize this belief for this. The eve of the holiday for women is the time to bake a large ritual cake (gatu). Its shape is round, prepared from butter dough. Interestingly, beads are baked inside the Yezidi ghat. The oldest woman in the family leads the process. At the onset of the holiday, the main man of the family distributes the gathu to all relatives. Whoever receives a piece with beads will be lucky all year. Also, one more belief is associated with April among these people: April is like a “bride” of all other months, therefore the Yezidis have a strict taboo on holding weddings in April; it is also impossible to engage in building a house, cultivating land, or changing one's place of residence.
Yezidis and Armenians
Yezid is a nationality numbering tens of thousands of representatives in Armenia. The relationship of these peoples to each other has been formed since ancient times. They have always been friendly peoples. They share similar fates, because both of them in the struggle for their faith were subjected to persecution and deprivation, which forced them to leave their historic homeland, fleeing from their persecutors. Many Yezidis subsequently settled in Eastern Armenia.
Armenia is the only state where there are educational institutions that study the Yazidi language. There are approximately 23. In the country, several publishers publish textbooks and fiction in the Yezidi language. There is a fund that promotes the development of Yezidi science and art.
The Yezidi settlements suffered greatly during the devastating earthquake that occurred in Armenia in 1988. On the recommendation of the then Prime Minister of the USSR Nikolai Ryzhkov, who visited the disaster area, many of them (about 5.5 thousand people) moved to the Krasnodar Territory.
Although it’s sad to note, but we, according to the classic, are “lazy and not curious.” And even today, far from fully aware of the ancient people living with us alongside such Yezidis. Many information is inaccurate and blurry. But one thing is certain. Yezidis is a nationality, whose representatives managed to pass all the tests, while preserving their historical appearance and identity. And it is worth a lot.
Yezidi traditions
The Yezidis are characterized by a caste-theocratic system of society. This means that they can only marry with a representative of the same caste. Marriages with people of a different faith are prohibited at all.
Priests from generation to generation choose the same path of life. Moreover, representatives of other castes cannot become priests.
According to the Yezidis, they are a chosen people, and this is a hereditary factor, that is, it is transmitted from older generations to younger ones.
There is practically no written evidence about the history of the formation and development of their faith. Their scripture also almost never was completely reflected on paper. They took great care of their faith and believed that it was very difficult to keep written sacred texts at the hands of Gentiles. And they can reveal the mysteries of their traditions and rites. Historical facts about the people, canons of religion, prayer texts, religious rituals - all this has been passed on by word of mouth for many centuries.
Sacred texts
A few scriptures do exist. The religious doctrine itself is presented on the pages of two holy books - Jilva and Maskhafe Rush. The first is the Book of Revelation, the second is the Black Book. It is unlikely that a representative of another religion can understand their content, because the books are written in the South Kurdish dialect.
Because of the same fear of the Gentiles, the Yezidis contained so many secret tricks in their writing that not a single stranger could make out their texts.
Bans and regulations
The doctrine of the Yezidis prohibits a lot of their followers. Only following all the requirements and prohibitions throughout life allows you to remain a true adherent of religion.
The most numerous are food bans. There are also many taboos in appearance. For example, you should not wear blue clothes.
Also known are the prohibitions associated with the elements: fire, water and earth. Most likely, the roots of these prescriptions lie in the Zoroastrian teachings, prohibiting the desecration of the above elements.
