Dehwa Hanina

Culture of origin: Mandaean · Cultural

Holiday sources: Iran · Mandaeism

Dehwa Hanina, the Little Feast, begins on 18 Taura and lasts three days. It commemorates the ascent of Hibil Ziwa from the World of Darkness to the World of Light. Families visit one another over a breakfast of rice, yogurt, dates and sesame, clean their homes and wear new clothes; baptisms are performed and the dead are remembered with lofani, ritual meals. It is one of the four main Mandaean feasts, also called the Feast of Flourishing.