An Ancient People,A Living Faith
Our heritage is a gift to receive, to treasure, and to pass on.
The Assyrian people trace their roots to ancient Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates, home to great cities such as Nineveh and Ashur. In the first centuries after Christ, communities in this region embraced the Gospel, and Christianity became a defining part of Assyrian identity.
Faith
From the earliest centuries, the Church of the East and the Syriac churches nurtured monasteries, schools, and missionaries. Through persecution, displacement, and hardship, Assyrian families held fast to their faith, often at great cost. That faithfulness is our inheritance.
Language
Many Assyrians still speak modern Aramaic dialects, and Classical Syriac remains the language of our liturgy. Each time we pray in our ancestral tongue, we join a chorus that stretches back nearly two thousand years.
Traditions
Our year is marked by feasts and fasts: Christmas and Easter (Eda Gura), the three-day Rogation of the Ninevites, saints' days, and the Assyrian New Year, Kha b-Nisan, celebrated each spring. Weddings, village gatherings, music, and the Assyrian folk dance (khigga) bring generations together.
Diaspora
Today Assyrians live across the Middle East and in communities around the world. Wherever we go, our churches and gatherings remain a home away from home, places where children learn who they are and where everyone has a seat at the table.