Photos of Christmas in Iraq

(AINA) — 2014 was a bad year for the Assyrians of Iraq, who comprise 95% of the country’s Christian population. ISIS drove nearly 200,000 Assyrians from their homes and villages in the Nineveh Plain, forcing them to flee further north. They have been living as refugees since August 7.

But the spirit of Christmas has not been dampened, and members of the four major Assyrian denominations celebrated Christmas. The four denominations are

• The Assyrian Church of the East (“Nestorian”), established in 33 A.D. by Theodos, Thomas, and Bartholomew
• The Syriac Orthodox Church (“Jacobite”), established in 450 A.D.
• The Chaldean Church of Babylon (“Chaldean”, Roman Catholic), established in 1552 A.D.
• The Syriac Catholic Church

See Timeline of ISIS in North Iraq.

© 2014 Assyrian International News Agency. 

Source: