ŞİNYAR BAYİZ

Sulaymaniyah- Buka Baranê (Rainbow or Bride of Rain) is a Kurdish tradition mostly performed by children for years during drought season to make it rain. The children make a stick symbolizing the bride and visit house by house while singing songs and ask candies from people. It is believed that if they perform this tradition, they will end the drought and it will rain. Kurdistan Şemal Organization held “The Carnival of Buka Baranê” in the Şexani neighborhood of Sulaymaniyah to raise children’s awareness of the importance of protecting nature.  A group of children living in the neighborhood attended the carnival. They visited house by house and wished that the Kurdistan region would not face drought this year.

They want to carry on the tradition

Şilan Ehmed, a member of the Kurdistan Şemal Organization spoke to our news agency about the carnival. “Buka Baranê is an old tradition. We decided to hold this carnival to not allow this tradition to be forgotten. This year, it hasn’t rained so far so we wanted to raise the children’s awareness of the effects of global warming. Global warming affects not only the Kurdistan region but also the whole world.”

“We visit house by house to make it rain,” said Saye Sediqe, one of the children participating in the carnival.

“It is an old tradition”

“It is an old tradition performed by the Kurds. If it doesn’t rain, the people, who hold a stick symbolizing a bride, visit house by house. Thus, they make it rain,” said Şirin Xwekerim, one of the residents of the neighborhood.