Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Sabean-Mandaean community will celebrate Dehwa Hanina, or the Little Feast, on Saturday with river baptisms, prayers and a traditional breakfast shared among families, neighbors and relatives.

The holiday, also known as the Feast of Prosperity, features a morning meal of rice, yogurt and dates, alongside prayers and hymns from the Ginza Rabba, the Mandaeans' sacred scripture.

Sheikh Sattar Jabbar al-Hilu, head of the Mandaean community in Iraq and worldwide, told Shafaq News that the festival commemorates the flourishing of the earth and the emergence of water in Mandaean religious tradition.

He said the celebrations include baptisms in running water, memorial meals for the deceased and assistance for people in need.

During baptism ceremonies, Mandaeans of all ages wear traditional white cotton garments known as rasta and enter the river under the supervision of a religious priest, or tarmida, while passages from the Ginza Rabba are recited.

The Mandaeans follow an ancient monotheistic faith that reveres Prophet Yahya ibn Zakariya (John the Baptist) and preserves its religious teachings in Mandaic, a form of Aramaic.

Their principal scripture, the Ginza Rabba, or "Great Treasure," includes teachings on creation, morality and the soul's journey after death.

Decades of insecurity and displacement have driven many Iraqi Mandaeans abroad or from southern Iraq to the Kurdistan Region, where Erbil has provided a place of worship for the community.

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Mandaean communities have also established places of worship in Sweden, Germany, Australia and the United States, preserving their religious traditions across the diaspora.