Yazidis begin annual olive harvest ritual at Lalish temple in northern Iraq

Shafaq News – Duhok

Each December, the heart of the Yazidi community turns toward Lalish, where an annual ritual quietly renews a tradition that has survived centuries. The temple’s olive trees—more than one hundred of them—became the center of a communal gathering as the seasonal harvest began in the Sheikhan district east of Duhok.

Men and women from nearby Yazidi areas arrived early, joining khalmetkar, the temple’s caretakers, alongside representatives of the princely and sheikh families. Baba Sheikh, the community’s spiritual leader, was also present as the first olives were picked. The ritual marks the start of a months-long process that blends agriculture, devotion, and heritage.

Luqman Suleiman, the media officer of Lalish Temple, told Shafaq News that the harvest always begins in early December. Volunteers move through the rows of trees surrounding the sanctuary, gathering olives by hand and transferring them to storage rooms inside the temple, where they remain for several months.

“In the third month of the year, the olives are brought out for pressing,” he said, noting that the process follows ceremonial steps rooted in long-standing temple tradition.

The resulting oil is treated with particular reverence. Suleiman explained that it is stored inside Lalish in specially prepared spaces and used exclusively to light the temple’s 365 lamps.

“For the Yazidi community, these flames represent the sun’s radiance and the continuity of light throughout the year—an unbroken cycle preserved through a ritual that returns every winter,” he added.

Read more: Lights return to Lalish Temple: Yazidis gather for weeklong Jama Feast