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The Yazidi community will soon come together to celebrate their new year.
The event, which will take place Wednesday, will celebrate their cultural heritage, history, foods and educate their younger generations about their history that goes back thousands of years.
The Yazidi community has been celebrating this cultural event in Lincoln for 14 years now.
Hasan Khalil’s family has been the host for the event since then. He said they might have missed a couple years when the Yazidi genocide took place in Iraq from 2014 to 2017.
"Despite everything that we've been through, we are still like, able to escape a lot of those challenges and continue celebrating some of our important cultural heritage," Khalil said. "Our past generations worked, you know, sacrificed a lot to get to this point and it is our turn."
Khalil is currently making a music documentary with the University of Southern California that he will play at the event.
According to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Lincoln is home to the largest Yazidi community in North America. Khalil said the renewal of the year brings hope, and it's a tradition he'd like to see continue for generations.
"It's very important to keep practicing this so our kids can remember where we come from and what these cultural celebrations are, and what it means for the next generation to have something to be proud of," Khalil said.
He added he'd also like the wider Lincoln community to benefit from this cultural celebration that is free for all to come.
"It's nice we all learn from each other and participate in some of our events," he said.
This event showcases traditional attires, dance, music, food and sweets. It will take place at Mahoney State Park.
They will also have a donation box at the event.