اخبار سوريا اليوم – وطن نيوز
سوريا اليوم – اخبار سوريا عاجل
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-01-25 14:24:00
Enab Baladi – Shaaban Shamiya The Syrian coastal region is full of popular traditional holidays and events, characterized by a cultural specificity that combines religious rituals and a social heritage rooted in nature, as it overlaps between religious heritage (Christian and Islamic) and ancient traditions that reflect the Syrian person’s connection to nature and the renewal of its seasons. Social holidays on the Syrian coast begin with the “Barbara” feast, followed by other holidays: “The Annunciation,” which is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ, then the “Sweetheart” feast, leading to “Al-Quzli” and “Mass,” as “Al-Quzli” (Gregorian) represents the New Year according to the Eastern calendar, and falls on January 13 of each year. The story begins with “Barbara.” The villages of the Syrian coast celebrate “Barbara” with rituals somewhat different from what is customary. On the morning of December 16, fires visit homes for mothers to cook “harissa” or “wheat” food, consisting of peeled wheat and local chicken or “habash,” and it must be fried with local ghee, and the secret to the success of the dish, as “Abu Alaa” confirms, lies in “stirring it vigorously.” The “Harissa” ritual, which is still present in most areas of the Syrian coast, is accompanied by a ritual that seems more aesthetic, which is the competition to light fires with the rest of the village’s neighborhoods, and the one whose fire remains burning for the longest period of time prevails, “but the sky always prevails,” said “Abu Alaa,” from the village of Blouza in the Baniyas countryside, in reference to the heavy rains that often coincide with these occasions. Many popular proverbs were associated with this social occasion, including: “On Barbara’s Day, water pours out of a mouse’s cup,” in reference to the abundance of rain, and “If you do not see the land on Barbara’s Day.. return your wheat to the kawara,” meaning the wheat container. And “after the Feast of Barbara, the days will grow longer,” as it is known that the shortest days of the year are in the first half of December, in which the Feast of Barbara falls, and people believe by observation that the days will increase slightly starting from the 16th of December. In addition to popular proverbs, there are many songs that girls pass on to celebrate Saint Barbara and are associated with this occasion, including “Hashila Barbara with the Girls of the Neighborhood,” one of which was sung by the late artist Sabah, and the song “Once upon a time…once upon a time…a girl named Barbara…full of faith.” Saint Barbara’s Day is a Christian holiday, but it has turned into a local holiday on the Syrian coast, celebrated by various religions, as well as various Christian sects, with some differences in days. Some celebrate it on the 4th of December, and others on the 16th or 17th of the same month. Popular heritage researcher Haider Naissa explained to Enab Baladi that “Barbara” on the Syrian coast is the first occasion of winter, and it is a popular celebration in which the memory of Saint Barbara is commemorated, noting that this occasion falls on December 17 according to the Western Gregorian calendar, which corresponds to December 3 in the eastern calendar. Celebrations follow successive occasions, starting from “Barbara” Day until “Mass” Day, which falls on the 19th of January in the Western AD, corresponding to the 6th of January in the Eastern AD, according to Naissa. If, for example, a Wednesday falls on the commemoration of “Barbara,” then all of the following occasions fall on a Wednesday as well, with a difference of one week between each occasion. Naissa explains that the non-Christian people of the coast celebrate “Barbara” by preparing the traditional “harissa” dish, which relies mainly on peeled wheat. He explained that feeding the neighbors with it and scattering its grains in the water streams to flow goodness and seasons like water, and also scattering it for the chickens and feeding the animals from it, so that the family, their neighbors, and their livestock share the food, which is considered one of the most prominent rituals of this occasion. “The Annunciation” and “The Sweet One,” Yumna (62 years old), from the Al-Kharab area in the countryside of Tartous Governorate, told Enab Baladi that the people on the Syrian coast celebrate the “Annunciation” holiday through distinct traditions and customs that unite the sects in love, most notably the preparation of “kibibat with chard,” which carries a special flavor of traditional Syrian cuisine. This occasion is not just a religious ritual, according to the sixty-year-old woman, but rather an opportunity to strengthen social ties between Alawites and Christians, pointing out that the Feast of the “Annunciation” carries deep religious meanings, as it recalls King Gabriel’s announcement to the Virgin Mary of the birth of Jesus Christ, and it comes just before New Year’s Day. “Kebbet with Swiss chard” is a traditional winter dish from the coastal countryside, especially the countryside of Baniyas and Jableh, Yumna explained. It differs from the traditional “kibbeh” to a great extent, as it is prepared from fine bulgur and stuffed with chard fried with onions and olive oil. It is boiled instead of fried or grilled, and served with its own “sauce” that contains olive oil, garlic, hot pepper molasses, and lemon juice. One of the rituals followed by some people associated with the “Annunciation” holiday is placing a chickpea, symbolizing “happiness,” and a bean, symbolizing “unluckiness.” It is believed that whoever receives a chickpea will be good news for him in the new year, while those who receive a bean are asked to be careful, but this is nothing more than a popular tradition for entertainment and amusement. Youmna also added that the people of the Syrian coast used to celebrate the “sweet” holiday, according to the local dialect, in the third week after the “Barbara” and “Annunciation” holidays, noting that there are types of sweets inherited in the coastal mountains for this occasion, such as mashed halva, molasses, thalaj, harissa, and awama. Haider Naissa, a researcher in folklore, pointed out that “sweets” (bishara and halwa) differ from “barbara,” as they depend on flour, milk, bulgur, and oil, especially “zaliba,” which are discs stuffed with meat, Swiss chard, onions, and spices. It is desirable for everyone to celebrate it, according to Naissa, to the point of saying that “the last sweet” is called “the empty sweet,” and she calls on those who do not celebrate it by saying, “May God empty the house that is empty of me!” Naissa added that after the “sweets” comes the birthday of Jesus Christ, during which prayers are held in the churches of Christians, and in the homes of other people of the coast, as the people of the coastal countryside celebrate it, and in it the bulgur is ground with meat and oil, eaten, distributed, and prayed for acceptance. “Al-Qouzli”… commemorating the Eastern New Year. No matter how bad the economic situation is, there must be a beautiful gathering for the family to celebrate the occasion of the Eastern New Year or “Al-Qouzli” and practice its distinctive rituals, as most people in the mountains and countryside of the Syrian coast have done for hundreds of years, on January 13 of every year, 13 days behind the Western Gregorian calendar. Farida (50 years old), from the village of Tanita in the Baniyas countryside, told Enab Baladi that on this occasion, a type of mixed bread (several layers) called “milidi” or “unleavened bread” is prepared, consisting of flour, olive oil, sesame, and sometimes black seed or other herbs are added to it, as it is baked and stuck to the walls of the oven. She added that the celebration of “Al-Qouzli” (Melidi) depends on red meat as the main ingredient, and the type of meat differs from one house to another depending on the number of its people and their living conditions. Some of them slaughter a sheep and others may need a calf until their table is complete. This has changed radically for many years with the start of the Syrian war, to the point that whoever enjoys a kilo of meat on this day has become “his home is in the head of the citadel,” as she described it. “Qouzla” is a name derived from the Assyrian verb “qazal,” meaning to light a fire, according to the book “Latakia, the First Mediterranean Civilization.” In general, it is used as “qozel,” which means participating in the celebration on the occasion of “qouzla.” It also means “quzi-zalba,” and “qozi” is lamb meat, and “zalba” is stuffed and fried dough meat. “After the Eid, there are no cakes,” “Between the Qouzli and the Mass, the peasant’s house will not be trampled,” and many other popular proverbs on the Syrian coast linked to the revival of the “Qouzli” or the celebration of the New Year according to the Eastern calendar. “Al-Qouzli” is celebrated to this day in many villages on the Syrian coast, such as Aramo, Damsarkho, Karsana, Janata, and the villages of Baniyas and Jableh, as well as some people of the interior, the plain, and the mountains. “Abu Muhammad” (65 years old), from the village of Damsarkho on the outskirts of the city of Latakia, told Enab Baladi that the feast of “Mass” on the Syrian coast is an ancient social ritual with religious connotations, which he has experienced since his childhood, stressing that it resembles the feast of “the Epiphany” among Christians in terms of water and purification. “Abu Muhammad” added that on this day, the people used to wake up early and go with their children to the spring or the waterwheel, as the water is too cold to dive in, pointing to the beliefs in the purity and blessing of the “Mass” water and its connotations associated with new beginnings. “Abu Muhammad” spoke about the decline of this ritual today to a great extent, but some of the people, a few of them, still maintain it using “tap” water, provided that it is cold, pointing out that the occasion is not limited to immersing in cold water, but rather it is a day of prayer, gathering, and reconciliation between people, in addition to “Eid feasts” for children. “Abu Muhammad” indicated that he continues to follow this ritual in his home until today, as he places an olive branch on the door of the house. Some people also place basil or olive branches in pots of cold water at night before they wash and immerse themselves in it in the morning because of the blessed connotations of these trees. The feast of “Mass” is historically a Canaanite-Phoenician ritual that was celebrated before the spread of Christianity. It is a feast linked to Syrian nature, especially water, as a source of fertility and a symbol of life. Christians introduced it into their faith and preserved it, as “baptism” is a religious duty, one of the basics of the Christian religion, accompanied by prayer rituals. It was also celebrated on the Syrian coast with the spread of Islam after some rituals were added to it. The most prominent occasion, according to the researcher of folklore, is “Al-Qouzla” or the Eastern New Year, which is celebrated by lighting fires in piles of firewood at the moment of sunset or when the sun appears to dip into the sea, in commemoration of Abraham’s escape, peace be upon him, from the fire of Nimrod bin Canaan and the daffodils from its ashes. Then each family, previously, slaughters a kid or a sheep, as this has declined to a large extent due to economic conditions, and popular dances are held around the fires and chants and chants are chanted. The next day, before sunrise, everyone visits the graves and recites the Fatiha, and the greeting phrase used on this occasion is “Eid Mubarak to you.” People exchange visits, quarrels reconcile, evening parties are held, and meetings last for six days, ending with “Mass,” Naissa continued. The feast of “Mass” on the Syrian coast, according to Naissa, is linked to the commemoration of the baptism of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, in the waters of the Jordan River at the hands of the Prophet Yahya, peace be upon him. “Al-Quzli” comes in the middle of winter when 20 days have passed since its beginning, so there are 20 more days left until it ends and the turn of the four “Saudis” comes, each of which lasts 12 and a half days until noon and when it is completed (50 days) with the Arbaeen, winter ends and spring arrives, where there is light, warmth, greenery and life, the popular heritage researcher Haider Naissa concluded his talk to Enab Baladi. Related
