(Qamichli) Faced with drought threatening their agricultural crops and livelihoods, the Kurds in Syria revived a centuries-old ritual on Friday to bring down the rain.
“The rain bride”! In the town of Qamichli in the northeast of the country, Kurdish inhabitants, many of whom were children, paraded through the streets with a wooden doll dressed in colored fabrics which they sprinkled with water. Others recited special prayers.
For centuries, this ritual has been practiced by the Kurdish community during periods of drought during winter.
After being abandoned in recent decades, it has resurfaced after waves of drought and record drops in precipitation in the region.
“We abandoned this tradition a long time ago, but it has been resumed in the past two years due to the severe drought,” said Farhan Ahmad, a 54-year-old farmer.
Hajji Souleiman, 71, remembers performing this ritual on him as a child, but points out that circumstances have changed now.
“We entered in the middle of winter and it hasn’t rained once! He said.