Lincoln's Yazidi Community Celebrates New Year with Old Traditions

The Yazidi people in Lincoln gather for music, heritage, and new beginnings as they mark their sacred new year.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 10:12pm

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A high-contrast, neon-colored silkscreen print of a single Yazidi egg symbol repeated in a tight grid pattern, conveying the celebratory spirit of the Yazidi new year through a modern pop art aesthetic.Vibrant silkscreen prints of traditional Yazidi new year eggs capture the joyful energy of Lincoln's annual celebrations honoring this ancient minority community's cultural heritage.Lincoln Today

The Yazidi new year, celebrated in April, was marked in Lincoln, Nebraska with festivals, music, and traditional practices like coloring eggs and making wishes on burning strings. Lincoln's Yazidi Youth Council, a nonprofit, helped organize one of the events at Mahoney Park, which the city's mayor recently proclaimed as Yezidi Recognition Month. The Yazidi people, an ancient minority religious group from northern Iraq, have found a home in Lincoln, which is said to have the largest Yazidi community in North America.

Why it matters

The Yazidi new year celebrations in Lincoln showcase how the city's diverse immigrant communities are able to maintain their cultural traditions and identities while building new lives in the United States. These events help strengthen the Yazidi community's connections and provide an opportunity for the broader public to learn about their unique heritage.

The details

The Yazidi new year, known as Carsema Sare Salei in the Kurmanji Ezidki language, was marked with festivals at Mahoney Park and Holmes Lake in Lincoln. Traditions included coloring eggs to represent the sun, pureness, and the colors of spring, making wishes and prayers on burning strings, and a large circle of dancers connecting the whole celebration. Organizers from the Yazidi Youth Council said the events bring the community together to share culture and reconnect with those they haven't seen in a while.

  • The Yazidi new year is celebrated in April, coinciding with the arrival of spring.
  • The festivals in Lincoln were held on Wednesday, April 16, 2026.

The players

Yazidi Youth Council

A nonprofit organization in Lincoln that helped organize one of the Yazidi new year festivals.

Evin Rasho

A member of the Yazidi Youth Council who said the events bring the community together.

Khatun Aldakhi

A participant who expressed how special it was to see all the Yazidis in Lincoln spending the day together.

Chira Khudhur

An organizer who said the new year celebrations mark the end of winter and the rebirth of nature.

Delkhosh Al Hayder

A Yazidi community member born in Iraq who has been living in Lincoln for a few years and enjoys strengthening his connection to the community through the new year celebrations.

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What they’re saying

“It brings all of us together. We connect over eggs or treats and we see people we haven't seen in awhile.”

— Evin Rasho, Member, Yazidi Youth Council

“In the United States, everybody's just like in their separate worlds and stuff. So it's really special to me to see all the Yazidis here and just spending the day together.”

— Khatun Aldakhi, Participant

“During April, a lot of the nature starts to pop out. The winter is ending and everything starts to blossom, the flowers look nice, the trees are greener, the grass is greener... We believe it starts a new path, a new chapter in life.”

— Chira Khudhur, Organizer

“It means a lot more like love, more peace more praying. The new year means a new chapter of your life, new goals, just new everything honestly. That's what it specifically means to me.”

— Delkhosh Al Hayder, Yazidi Community Member

What’s next

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird recently signed a proclamation marking April as Yezidi Recognition Month, and on Thursday a group of Yazidi community members brought her office a note of thanks and traditional gifts. Organizers of the new year celebrations hope to continue the tradition in Lincoln each year and grow the Yazidi community with future events.

The takeaway

The Yazidi new year celebrations in Lincoln demonstrate how the city's diverse immigrant communities are able to maintain their cultural identities and traditions while building new lives in the United States. These events help strengthen the Yazidi community's connections and provide an opportunity for the broader public to learn about their unique heritage.