ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A village in Halabja province on Friday held its annual “Day of Giving” yoghurt festival rooted in Kakai tradition to promote unity and coexistence.
“Today marks a sacred occasion that organizers plan to commemorate annually. Community members bring items from their homes to donate, and all guests are welcome. The event is known as the Day of Giving,” explained Wajiha Yusuf, 64, who had prepared several types of food for the festival.
“It's a very sacred day for us. This day has existed since ancient times for giving what you have to your neighbor, to those who are without,” Dalia Farouq, a Kakai villager, told Rudaw.
“Today, besides being a day of giving and gratitude, it brings together all the people of Hawar and Kakais to rejoice together and renew kinship and friendship,” she added.
Festival goers can join in religious and art activities while they enjoy tasty food, including the local yoghurt called Qalate.
“Honestly, it was much better than I had imagined," said Rajab Asi, a Kakai who came from Kirkuk. “At all times, even outside Kurdistan, I've been proud that I am Kurdish and always eager to preserve our traditions.”
Kakais, who are generally considered to be Kurdish in ethnicity, hold unique spiritual beliefs. They are followers of the Yarsan religion local to Iran and Iraq.
In Iraq, the community is estimated by Minority Rights Group to number between 110,000 and 200,000 people, mainly living in the Daquq area of southeastern Kirkuk province area and in the Nineveh Plains to the east of Mosul.
