Despite pain and suffering, Khabur prepares for Christmas

Despite the many ordeals that the Syriac Assyrian-Chaldean people are going through in Khabur, including threats and Turkish bombardment, they are determined to remain steadfast in their land and continue with the preparations for the Christmas holidays. Our correspondent in Tal Tamr prepared a report about the preparations in Khabur for the celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus.

Amid the suffering that the Khabur is going through, thousands of ordeals engulf the souls of the residents there. The migration of the Syriac Assyrian-Chaldean people fleeing these tribulations has left many houses abandoned, while the few people who remain continue to preserve the ancestral heritage in customs and traditions.

During a tour by our correspondent in the streets of the town of Tal Tamr, the cameras observed the atmosphere of Christmas preparations, where decorations fill the neighborhoods and people rush to buy sweets and other items they need in order to celebrate the holidays.

Adiba Baddi Daoud, one of the remaining women of the Syriac Assyrian-Chaldean people in Tal Tamr, spoke to our reporter about the atmosphere of preparing for Christmas, where they make “kleija” and sweets, a custom that has been prevalent in the culture there for decades. As for the Cristmas lunch, the people in the Khabur villages make “dukwa” food.

Adiba also talked about the rituals of Christmas day, when the Syriac people attend the Divine Liturgy in the morning, and then go to their homes to receive guests and exchange Christmas greetings with others.

Speaking about the high level of emigration out of Khabur, Adiba said that the number of Christian families remaining in the villages of Al-Khabur is very low,  but these families all gather to attend the Christmas Mass in the Tal Tamr Church.