Armenians mark Apostolic Christmas in Kurdistan and Iraq

Shafaq News– Duhok

Thousands of Armenians across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq
on Tuesday observed Armenian Apostolic Christmas, known as Shnorhavor Surb
Tsnund and marked on January 6, through prayers, church rituals, and spiritual
hymns.

Yervan Aminian, head of the Armenian Orthodox community in
Duhok, told Shafaq News that Iraq’s Armenian population has fallen to fewer
than 10,000 from more than 20,000 in previous years due to conditions the
country has experienced, while noting steady growth in the Kurdistan Region,
where the community has expanded from under 1,000 to more than 4,800 residents
supported by five churches.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Rania Kako clarified that the
celebrations begin with church services and extend into family gatherings
centered on traditional meals such as kibbeh and dolma. The occasion, she
added, carries messages of love and peace.

Korkis Kevork, meanwhile, highlighted the culture of
coexistence in the Kurdistan Region, particularly in Duhok, pointing to strong
social ties among religious communities and the widespread exchange of holiday
greetings among Christians, Muslims, and Yazidis.

Read more: Iraqi Kurdistan’s pluralism: A living model of coexistence