Mr Shmayel Khoushaba Roowel was born the village of Dereh in 1938. Since arriving to Australia decades ago, he started working with other members of the community to celebrate the festival. He says "this Shara (festival) is held annually on the Sunday two weeks after Easter". He was told by his grandfather, the tradition is been carried on for at least three hundred years. He says this is a remembrance day for the Saint. The Saint's church was discovered accidentally hundreds of years ago hidden among trees in the village of Dereh. Since then, people of Dereh and the surrounding villages came together to celebrate the Saint's memorial, the festival was held for three days, Mr Roowel said.
In Sydney, the festival is organised by Mar Audisho of Dereh committee, which is mainly Assyrians who originated from that village.
President of the committee, Mr Paul Gorgees says " it is very important we celebrate these festivals, they are part of our culture, history and belief, without them, we will lose part of our identity."
There were more than 300 people gathered in the festival. But most importantly, there was a big presence of youth. SBS met Ramina, a young Assyrian-Australian. She told SBS that every year she comes with her family to the festival. Ramina believes this festival creates a bond with her roots, as her parents came from the Village of Dereh. She believes that events like these help the community to be together and keep many traditions and customs alive.
These Sharawateh (festivals) celebrated by Assyrians around the world have many things in common: Joy and happiness, dance and fun, but most importantly, The Lamb Sacrifice, where lamb meat is slow cooked in a very old traditional way that goes back for hundreds of years. Then the cooked meat is offered to the people as Besra D'Dokhrana (the meat of the sacrifice) the most delicious meat soup with chunky lamb meat, you have ever tested.
