This week it was the Yezidi New Year, known as Sere Sal, which means “Head of the Year”. It’s celebrated on a particular Wednesday of April, known as Red Wednesday. This day commemorates the Wednesday that Melek Taus, one of the central figures of the Yezidi religion, first came to earth millions of years ago in order to calm the planet’s quaking and spread his peacock colors throughout the world.

Below are photos from this week’s Yezidi New Year celebration in Sinjar, Iraq, close to the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Photo credits: Allt om Irak Facebookpage