The Fourth Annual Syriac Heritage Festival, which is organised by the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts’ Syriac Heritage and Museum Directorate, continued its heritage, folklore and singing activities for the second day in a row amid a distinguished public presence, at its usual location opposite the ancient Qasra Mound in the heart of Erbil Governorate’s Ankawa District.
The second day began with an activity by the Syriac schools, whose participation in the festival was to encourage them to communicate with their roots and contribute to preserving their heritage, followed by a folkloric song performed by the Barmaya Ensemble coming from the Syrian city of Qamishli.
The second day of the festival witnessed the participation of the Zeus Ensemble from Bakhdida for the first time with an operetta that contemplated Syriac culture titled “Milkha” (Salt), in addition to folkloric singing performances presented by the Sargon Folkloic Dance Ensemble that came from the Armenian capital Yerevan, and the Syriac Arts Ensemble of the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
The second day of the festival included the presentation of singing performances in which a number of our people’s artists participated, including Ashur Lazar, Merna Esho, Ninos Adwar, Gaggi, Nagham Edwar, and Joseph Iwas. These continued until 9:30 in the evening.
Part of the second day of the festival’s activities were attended by the Primate of the Syriac Catholic Diocese of Adiabene in Erbil, Bishop Mar Nathaniel Nizar Ajam, and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Component Affairs Minister Aydin Maruf.
It is worth noting that the Kurdistan Regional Government’s General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts has been organising a Syriac heritage festival in April every year, during which various heritage and popular events are held, and this year it will be held for the period of 4 to 6 April 2024.
