Religion

The Yazidi sacred hymns, known as qewls, serve as living repositories of collective memory, including the 19th‑century Bedirxan attacks on Yazidi communities. Transmitted orally by hereditary qewwals, these hymns recount historic persecution and are central to Yazidi religious identity.

Yazidi liturgical dates are anchored in an ancient astronomical framework that blends lunar‑solar cycles, celestial symbolism, and the sanctity of Wednesday. The most prominent example, Çarşema Sor (Red Wednesday), is fixed to the first Wednesday on or after 14 April, a rule that reflects the community’s historic use of the Julian and Seleucid calendars and a cosmology that venerates the sun, moon, and planetary movements.

Yazidism is an ancient Kurdish‑speaking monotheistic faith centered on the worship of the Peacock Angel, Tawûsê Melek. Its rich oral tradition, syncretic origins, and distinctive rituals have survived despite centuries of persecution.

This encyclopedia entry offers a detailed overview of Yazidi festivals, their theological significance, and the structure of the Yazidi religious calendar. It includes pronunciation, oral traditions, scholarly debates, regional variations, and statistical data.

Yazidism, Yarsanism, and Alevism are three distinct yet often conflated religious traditions of the Near East. This article compares their origins, doctrines, rituals, and contemporary demographics, drawing on peer‑reviewed scholarship and primary sources.

Tawûsî Melek, the Peacock Angel, is the chief celestial figure in Yazidi theology, embodying divine light and serving as the Yazidis’ primary intercessor. Revered through prayer, pilgrimage, and oral tradition, Tawûsî Melek occupies a unique place that distinguishes Yazidism from neighboring religions.

Yazidism is a closed religious community that historically forbids formal conversion. The prohibition is rooted in theological concepts of primordial lineage, oral tradition, and communal preservation. Yazidis.info documents the doctrinal, historical, and sociological reasons for this stance.

The Yazidi oral tradition, centered on the sacred Kurdish‑Kurmanji verses known as qewl and beyit, constitutes the core of Yazidi religious identity. This article surveys their forms, functions, regional variations, and scholarly debates.

Kirasgorîn is the Yazidi rite of reincarnation that includes the symbolic “Changing of the Shirt,” marking the soul’s renewal and its return to the earthly realm.

The Yazidi social structure is organized around a hereditary caste system, a distinct clerical hierarchy, and clearly defined community roles that together sustain religious practice and communal life. This article outlines the castes, clergy ranks, and secular functions, drawing on primary Yazidi texts and contemporary scholarship.