The Assyrians, having lost their statehood 2,500 years ago, survived thanks to oral speech and ethnic culture. Evidence of this is the New Year celebration that Assyrians around the world celebrate on April 1st. It’s called “khab nisan”. According to the legend, from the happiness of the beautiful love of Tammuz and Ishtar, everything on the face of the earth blossoms and brightens. On the 5th day of the holiday, the participants of the celebration bring the cart-ship, after which the holiday is still called Carnival. It marks the end of the old year and the beginning of the new.
The celebration ends with their wedding on April 1, which coincides with the Assyrian New Year. It marks the end of the old year and the beginning of the new.
The Assyrians celebrate that celebration with a communal sacrifice, which is distributed to all families equally, and, which is the most important protocol. Then the celebration continues with song and dance. The “Sheikhana” dance, to which the whole nation participates, can last up to two hours.
Every Assyrian considers it his duty to be at his birthplace, to celebrate that day, to participate in community events, which are diverse: concerts, parties, visits to relatives’ graves.
Such festivals also contribute to the preservation of the Assyrian language and to the appreciation of customs in society.
The intangible cultural heritage of the Republic of Armenia
