The activities of the third Ankawa Christmas Festival were launched in Ankawa District Centre on Friday 22 December 2023, amid an official presence from the Kurdistan Regional Government and a large crowd in the gardens of the Ankawa Social Academic Centre.
The opening ceremony was attended by a large official delegation from the regional government, which included Interior Minister Reber Ahmed, Transport and Communications Minister Anu Jawhar Abdoka, Erbil Governor Omid Khoshnaw, Foreign Relations Department head Safin Dizayi, Media and Information Department head Dr. Jotyar Adil, and regional government spokesman Peshwa Hawrami.
The ceremony began its activities with a performance by the General Directorate’s Syriac Arts Ensemble, followed by a speech from the Directorate, delivered by its Director General, Kaldo Ramzi Oghanna, in which he stressed that, “Ankawa has become the crucible that brings together not only the Christians of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, but also those in other countries,” pointing out that, “Our duty today is to spread the message that Jesus Christ taught us, the message of peace and love. We are a living people despite the circumstances we are facing.”
Oghanna explained, “The festival this year is distinguished in providing job opportunities for young people by offering them free places to support their work, in addition to the presence of more than 28 stalls for youth handicrafts,” indicating that this is the ultimate goal of the festival.
At the conclusion of his speech, Oghanna praised the role of the festival’s participating and sponsoring parties: Ankawa District Mayor, the Social Academic Center in Ankawa, the Ankawa Social Youth Club, West Eye Hospital, Erbil Fly Company and MG Motors. He additionally noted that the Ankawa Christmas Festival is one of the largest and most prestigious festivals in the world, and it is held annually in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region
Then, the Regional Government’s Transport and Communications Minister, Anu Jawhar Abdoka, delivered a speech in which he praised those working in organising the festival. This was followed by religious hymns performed by the Ornina Academy Band, then traditional dances in which members of the Syriac Arts Ensemble participated.
The first day of the festival continued its activities with artistic, musical, singing and traditional activities until midnight.
It is worth noting that the third annual Ankawa Christmas Festival, held under the auspices of Ankawa District Mayor and the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts with the participation of a number of youth and social civil society organisations, continues for 10 days during the Christmas and New Year holidays, in the gardens of the Social Academic Centre in Ankawa.
