Syrian Christians celebrate despite plague of war and mass murder

WOMEN in crop tops and men in dresses celebrated “Lady Day” in the midst of war-torn Syria.

Celebrations in the streets of Syria.

MEN wore dresses and danced in crop tops as locals sung in the streets of Syria.

Largely reduced to rubble, Syrian Christians from Homs have brought new hope to the old city by celebrating the Feast of Assumption, or “Lady Day”, on August 14 and 15 in nearby town Marmarita.

Locals suspended the war-torn reality they have lived daily for the past five years for two days of blissful celebration.

The carnival is usually organised by locals and takes place in different cities throughout Syria where a diverse number of traditions join in on the celebrations.

Videos of the celebrations show young girls wearing white and green hula skirts with floral headbands, smiling as they dance together at the festival. Another shows young men dressed in rainbow wigs and lacy bras.

After more than five years of unrelenting civil war, many of Syria’s cities have been reduced to rubble and Homs — Syria’s third largest city is no different.

The city was subject to heavy shelling in early 2012 and was the scene of intense fighting for much of the Syrian conflict, which has left it in ruins. Fighting ceased in April, 2014 and an uneasy truce was struck between the government and the Syrian rebels last December.

Since then, the locals have started to return despite continued unrest in the city. It has been reported that more than 6.6 million Syrians have been displaced because of the civil war.

The village of Marmarita lies to the west of Homs and is one of the largest villages in Wadi al-Nasarah (the valley of the Christians). Under Syrian regime control, Marmarita has also been heavily hit by the Syrian civil war. Its inhabitants are predominantly Greek Orthodox Christians, which has made it a target for Islamic jihadist militant groups.

In August 2013, during a Christian festival, 15 Christians were killed and many more wounded after an Islamic militant group attacked Marmarita and neighbouring village al-Husn.

Before the civil war, Marmarita was one of Syria’s most popular places to vacation in the summer and the UN reported the village as having one of the highest education rates in the Middle East.