Bacha and Kleicha: The taste of an Iraqi German Christmas
Shafaq News – Berlin
Iraqi Christians living in Germany continue to mark Christmas through rituals rooted in their homeland, maintaining language, food, and church traditions decades after leaving Iraq, Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on Thursday.
DW follows Iraqi Christian families who migrated years ago and gradually rebuilt communal life around newly established Chaldean churches across German cities. These churches enable worship in the Chaldean language and the observance of Christmas according to Iraqi rites, an arrangement that community members view as offering a more intimate and spiritual experience than earlier celebrations held in German churches.
The report notes that Christmas also unfolds beyond church walls, extending to family gatherings where traditional dishes such as Bacha (sheep head and trotters) and Kleicha (Iraqi date-filled pastries) remain central.
These customs often spark curiosity among Germans, many of whom are surprised upon learning that Iraq is home to long-established Christian communities.
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