Category
mourning
Death has its own elaborate liturgy in Kurdish tradition. A large tent — the dîwana fatiha — is set up in the courtyard of the bereaved house to receive mourners for three days; only bitter coffee without sugar is served — a symbol of grief. Women gather in a separate room, where one of them leads the fasil — moving Kurdish poetic laments that describe the deceased and his story. No food is cooked in the bereaved house for the first three days; neighbours bring meals for the family. On the fortieth day the meqbêriniya is held — a great memorial feast, closing with a collective visit to the grave. A widow mourns her husband for a full year, dressed in black and excluded from weddings.