‘Never FAR FROM FORGETTING'

A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES OF YAZIDI WHO’VE FOUND REFUGE IN CANADA

- SUSAN MCCLELLAND

LIKE A SPOTLIGHT IS TRAILING HIM, Hayder Essw weaves in and out of a crowd of about 150 gathered for the Yazidi festival Rejiet Ezi in the basement of the United Church in Richmond Hill, Ont. He’s dressed no differently from many of the men in attendance, in traditional Yazidi clothing with a red-and-white checkered jamadani headscarf. Approaching middle age, with lines on his cheeks but a youthful spring in his walk, Essw greets politicians, supporters and children alike with his wide smile, melting eyes and a warm handshake.

The tables he passes are covered in candies and gooey cakes that after three days of fasting, the Yazidi partygoers eat as a boon before their main meal. Married women, some in traditional Yazidi dress, others sporting classic Western evening attire, grip each other’s hands as they lean in and catch up. From the kitchen, aromas of dolma, a Middle Eastern stuffed leaf dish, and warm lamb fill the room. Essw’s son Araz fumbles with a boom with a camera tacked on the end to film the dancing that will soon follow; all the while, the young hug and kiss each other’s cheeks.

Rejiet Ezi, one of the most important celebrations in Yazidi culture, occurs around December 14. The date changes each year and is calculated on the Yazidi calendar, which by some elders’ accounts may be one of the first calendars in existence (it starts on a Wednesday in mid-April). An oral tradition, Yazidi spirituality and customs are retained by only a few, and so many at the event are uncertain what Rejiet Ezi is really about. Essw’s brother, Zuher, says that since Rejiet Ezi comes near the longest night of the year, or winter solstice, “we fast, as if to remind ourselves of the winters of our lives. We pray for the sun and then we feast, assured that light is returning to the bareness of Earth.”