13/09/2022

People of Ain Wardo in Tur Abdin celebrate Feast of Saint Mary

AIN WARDO, Turkey — On Thursday,in the courtyard of the Church of the Virgin Mary in the village of Ain Ward in the historic Tur Abdin region in southeastern Turkey, expatriates from the village organized a concert to commemorate the feast of Saint Mary, the Mother of God.

The ceremony was attended by the people of the various Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) villages in Tur Abdin, along with the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) expatriates visiting their villages and their hometowns.

Singer Fahmy Bakandi from Germany and Koreya Bozdemir from Sweden performed, lighting up the churchyard with folk and heritage songs in the presence of approximately 500 people.

Archbishop Mar Felixinos Yusef Çetin, Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul and Ankara, was among the attendees at this ceremony. He gave a speech to the audience in which he spoke about the lives and virtues of saints.

The celebration, which started on Thursday evening, continued until late, with the rhythm of music and folk dancing.

Independent Syriac Member of Turkish Parliament Tuma Çelik and head of the Federation of Syriac Clubs in Turkey Okin Türkar also attended.

The celebration, which started on Thursday evening, continued until late, at night, with the rhythm of music and folk dancing.