From competitive dancer to one of the best girls high school hockey players in the state —that is Sydney Schafer’s remarkable backstory as she begins her junior season on the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s/St. Catherine Academy girls hockey team.
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The Iraqi dialect, rich and diverse, embodies a linguistic heritage that stretches back to the early days of Mesopotamian civilization. This dialect, with its unique vocabulary and expressions, reflects centuries of cultural and linguistic evolution. Despite the influence of classical Arabic in official and media contexts, the Iraqi dialect remains a vibrant testament to the country’s historical and social complexity.
Read MorePerhaps the most celebrated tree in the world, the date palm is the eternal daughter of Iraq. It is everywhere, part of life that one can see in almost every picture taken there, old and new. Not only do date palms make beautiful statements in any landscape, but they have also long been honored in religious and cultural traditions.
Read MorePart II: The Yazidis (Yezidis) are impoverished cultivators and herdsmen who have a strictly graded religious-political hierarchy and tend to maintain a more closed community than other ethnic or religious groups. The Yazidi homeland in the Sinjar region in northern Iraq remains a war-torn area, and the prospect of economic and political stability in Iraq remains unclear.
Read MoreThe Yazidi (or Yezidi) are a Kurmanji-speaking minority group who are indigenous to northern Iraq, Kurdistan, and a geographical region in Western Asia. This includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. Most Yazidis remaining in the Middle East today live in Iraq, primarily in the governorate of Nineveh and Duhok.
Read More“In Iraq, even tattoos have a conflicted past and present.” So starts a 2023 essay by Ahmed Windi titled, “Our Inked Grandmothers.” His two grandmothers had traditional tattoos and his mother – born in the 1960s – did not. So naturally, he had questions
Read MoreThe second edition of the Old Alqosh Bazaar Festival was inaugurated by the bishop and a group of residents in Alqosh on March 27. This festival’s mission is to uphold and preserve the rich traditions, culture, and ancient crafts of the region. Participants engage in traditional dances and patronize traditional food and handcrafted items, contributing to the rehabilitation efforts of this historic bazaar, once a vital commercial center in the area.
Read MoreThis past March 14 was a significant day for the Christian community of Baqofa, Iraq in the Nineveh Plain. Bishop Mar Thabit led the consecration ceremony of the newly built Virgin Mary Church, an effort that has taken five years. Speaking exclusively to Chaldean News, Bishop Mar Thabit expressed his gratitude towards the generous contributions from various Catholic organizations and compassionate locals, which made the construction of the church possible.
Read MoreAs with most immigrant families, education is a priority in Chaldean households. These archival photos from the Chaldean Cultural Center show classes in Baghdad as well as Detroit, with Chaldean teachers in all classrooms.
Read MoreFrom the top, pictured are the weddings of: Vickie George and Badie Atchoo; Dr. Nathima and Dr. Peter Atchoo; and Michael and Andrea Gabbara. Shaw and Mary Hakim are pictured in the oval on the right. If you have archival photos you’d like to submit for consideration, please send them, along with captions, to edit@chaldeannews.com.
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Faisal Arabo was a Detroit-area pioneer in publishing and broadcasting who dedicated his time to the education and entertainment of thousands of Iraqi Americans who longed to stay connected to their ethnic and cultural roots.
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