04:20Members of the Mandaean religious community in Iraq celebrated the holiest day for the community of the year, ‘Golden Baptism’, in which they believe the Prophet Yahya bin Zakaria was born and baptized.
Footage filmed on Friday shows members of the Mandaean religious community wearing white clothes along the banks of the Tigris River in the capital Baghdad.
It is called the baptism because it is the day on which the Prophet Yahya was baptized, and thus it is a holy day for them, believing that on this day a person is cleansed of all the mistakes and sins he or she made in his previous life and is reborn as a bright white page. Baptism rituals begin in the morning hours, while they are dressed in white.
The footage also features Mandaean reciting verses from their holy book ‘Ginza Rabba’, which was originally written in Aramaic and translated into Arabic.
“Sabian-Mandaeans are part of the Iraqi [social] fabric and actively engage in their society in both joys and sorrows. We hope for peace and prosperity for the great Iraq,” said Abdul Salam Jabbar al-Sheikh Jathir, a Mandaean priest.
“We wish security and safety for the Mandaeans and Iraq as a whole. On this day, we perform our religious rituals, remember the dead by giving away charity food, and greet each other,” explained Ghazwan Tamer, a member of the Mandaean community.
They also believe that the Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) was the last prophet sent to them. All Mandaean rituals are performed in running water, which is a prerequisite for baptism (learning the teachings) since it means life to them.
This feast is the second of the four basic Sabean feasts throughout the Mandaean year, which are Al-Bronaya (the holiday of creation), Al-Dahfa Dimana (the golden baptism day), Al-Dahfa Rabbo (the Great Eid) and Al-Dahfa Hanina (Prosperity Feast).
Mandaeans reject all forms of violence as religiously banned. They are monotheists and pray three times a day.
The number of Mandaeans has significantly declined since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. In a press statement made in 2022, the leader of the Mandaean community Sheikh Sattar Jabbar El-Helou stated that the number of Mandaeans was estimated at 75,000 before 2003 but declined to 15-17 thousand.
SL:
Iraqi Mandaeans embrace 'Golden Baptism' rituals in white garb to cleanse sins
Members of the Mandaean religious community in Iraq celebrated the holiest day for the community of the year, ‘Golden Baptism’, in which they believe the Prophet Yahya bin Zakaria was born and baptized.
Footage filmed on Friday shows members of the Mandaean religious community wearing white clothes along the banks of the Tigris River in the capital Baghdad.
It is called the baptism because it is the day on which the Prophet Yahya was baptized, and thus it is a holy day for them, believing that on this day a person is cleansed of all the mistakes and sins he or she made in his previous life and is reborn as a bright white page. Baptism rituals begin in the morning hours, while they are dressed in white.
The footage also features Mandaean reciting verses from their holy book ‘Ginza Rabba’, which was originally written in Aramaic and translated into Arabic.
“Sabian-Mandaeans are part of the Iraqi [social] fabric and actively engage in their society in both joys and sorrows. We hope for peace and prosperity for the great Iraq,” said Abdul Salam Jabbar al-Sheikh Jathir, a Mandaean priest.
“We wish security and safety for the Mandaeans and Iraq as a whole. On this day, we perform our religious rituals, remember the dead by giving away charity food, and greet each other,” explained Ghazwan Tamer, a member of the Mandaean community.
They also believe that the Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) was the last prophet sent to them. All Mandaean rituals are performed in running water, which is a prerequisite for baptism (learning the teachings) since it means life to them.
This feast is the second of the four basic Sabean feasts throughout the Mandaean year, which are Al-Bronaya (the holiday of creation), Al-Dahfa Dimana (the golden baptism day), Al-Dahfa Rabbo (the Great Eid) and Al-Dahfa Hanina (Prosperity Feast).
Mandaeans reject all forms of violence as religiously banned. They are monotheists and pray three times a day.
The number of Mandaeans has significantly declined since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. In a press statement made in 2022, the leader of the Mandaean community Sheikh Sattar Jabbar El-Helou stated that the number of Mandaeans was estimated at 75,000 before 2003 but declined to 15-17 thousand.
SL:
Members of the Mandaean religious community in Iraq celebrated the holiest day for the community of the year, ‘Golden Baptism’, in which they believe the Prophet Yahya bin Zakaria was born and baptized.
Footage filmed on Friday shows members of the Mandaean religious community wearing white clothes along the banks of the Tigris River in the capital Baghdad.
It is called the baptism because it is the day on which the Prophet Yahya was baptized, and thus it is a holy day for them, believing that on this day a person is cleansed of all the mistakes and sins he or she made in his previous life and is reborn as a bright white page. Baptism rituals begin in the morning hours, while they are dressed in white.
The footage also features Mandaean reciting verses from their holy book ‘Ginza Rabba’, which was originally written in Aramaic and translated into Arabic.
“Sabian-Mandaeans are part of the Iraqi [social] fabric and actively engage in their society in both joys and sorrows. We hope for peace and prosperity for the great Iraq,” said Abdul Salam Jabbar al-Sheikh Jathir, a Mandaean priest.
“We wish security and safety for the Mandaeans and Iraq as a whole. On this day, we perform our religious rituals, remember the dead by giving away charity food, and greet each other,” explained Ghazwan Tamer, a member of the Mandaean community.
They also believe that the Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) was the last prophet sent to them. All Mandaean rituals are performed in running water, which is a prerequisite for baptism (learning the teachings) since it means life to them.
This feast is the second of the four basic Sabean feasts throughout the Mandaean year, which are Al-Bronaya (the holiday of creation), Al-Dahfa Dimana (the golden baptism day), Al-Dahfa Rabbo (the Great Eid) and Al-Dahfa Hanina (Prosperity Feast).
Mandaeans reject all forms of violence as religiously banned. They are monotheists and pray three times a day.
The number of Mandaeans has significantly declined since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. In a press statement made in 2022, the leader of the Mandaean community Sheikh Sattar Jabbar El-Helou stated that the number of Mandaeans was estimated at 75,000 before 2003 but declined to 15-17 thousand.
SL: