Who are the Chaldeans?
History
The Chaldean people of today are descendants of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations and the Aramean legacy of Mesopotamia. Historically, Chaldeans are Iraq’s indigenous people, and mainly resided in Northern Iraq as mountain dwellers and farmers in villages dating back to before Christ (BC). They have a 5,500-year history dating back to Mesopotamia the cradle of civilization which is present day Iraq. According to the Old Testament (Gen. 11:31), Abraham was from the city of Ur which is identified as “Ur of the Chaldeans,” the city of his ancestors (2014). Ancient Babylonians were the first civilization to invent the wheel, discover how to make glass, discover astronomy, use a writing system, invent …show more content…
At the time, Detroit was popular among a number of immigrant groups because of the growing automobile industry. It also had an established Middle Eastern community during this period, consisting primarily of Christian immigrants from Lebanon. In 1943 community sources listed 908 Chaldeans in the Detroit area; by 1963, this number had tripled, to about 3,000 people (Sengstock, 2015). Currently, there are approximately 150,000 Chaldeans in the US, in addition to another 100,000 who go by Assyrians and, approximately 30,000 who go by Syriacs (Suryoyo). The center for Chaldeans is in the Metropolitan Detroit Michigan, where the majority of them live (Shathaya, 1999). Although Chaldean Americans constitute the bulk of Iraqi immigrants living in the United States, they represent less than 10 percent of the population of Iraq. While the vast majority of Iraqis, like residents of other Arabic nations, are Muslim. Chaldeans are Roman Catholic, and practice one of the 18 to 20 separate rites of the Catholic church (Sengstock, …show more content…
Christmas without pacha in a Chaldean home, is no Christmas because it is the first thing served Christmas morning. Many Chaldean Christmas traditions have traveled thousands of miles and have been carried on from generation to generation right here in the United States. Chaldean incorporates American customs into their holiday celebrations. On the other hand, in Iraq, they celebrate Christmas for three days and they go to church every day of the celebrations starting with a two-hour midnight mass on Christmas. (Denha-Garmo, 2004). Also gifts are not exchanged in Iraq. Instead each person will wear new clothing bought especially for Christmas. When people visit each other’s homes, they give the children some money, usually a small amount. Also in Iraq, the priest visits every Chaldean family and offers blessings to their home. He will spend few minutes at each house in order to be able to visit every family. One of the children in the family reads Christmas stories from the Bible. The other members of the family hold lighted candles, and as soon as the story has been read, a bonfire is lit (Denha-Garmo, 2004). While Christmas in America is the same, with an addition to of gifts giving, hanging Christmas stocking and Santa Claus. The general structure of the Chaldean liturgical year is laid out in seven seasons of seven-week cycles, and in order to be consistent with the seven-week cycle theme, Chaldeans celebrate Lent on the
History
The Chaldean people of today are descendants of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations and the Aramean legacy of Mesopotamia. Historically, Chaldeans are Iraq’s indigenous people, and mainly resided in Northern Iraq as mountain dwellers and farmers in villages dating back to before Christ (BC). They have a 5,500-year history dating back to Mesopotamia the cradle of civilization which is present day Iraq. According to the Old Testament (Gen. 11:31), Abraham was from the city of Ur which is identified as “Ur of the Chaldeans,” the city of his ancestors (2014). Ancient Babylonians were the first civilization to invent the wheel, discover how to make glass, discover astronomy, use a writing system, invent …show more content…
At the time, Detroit was popular among a number of immigrant groups because of the growing automobile industry. It also had an established Middle Eastern community during this period, consisting primarily of Christian immigrants from Lebanon. In 1943 community sources listed 908 Chaldeans in the Detroit area; by 1963, this number had tripled, to about 3,000 people (Sengstock, 2015). Currently, there are approximately 150,000 Chaldeans in the US, in addition to another 100,000 who go by Assyrians and, approximately 30,000 who go by Syriacs (Suryoyo). The center for Chaldeans is in the Metropolitan Detroit Michigan, where the majority of them live (Shathaya, 1999). Although Chaldean Americans constitute the bulk of Iraqi immigrants living in the United States, they represent less than 10 percent of the population of Iraq. While the vast majority of Iraqis, like residents of other Arabic nations, are Muslim. Chaldeans are Roman Catholic, and practice one of the 18 to 20 separate rites of the Catholic church (Sengstock, …show more content…
Christmas without pacha in a Chaldean home, is no Christmas because it is the first thing served Christmas morning. Many Chaldean Christmas traditions have traveled thousands of miles and have been carried on from generation to generation right here in the United States. Chaldean incorporates American customs into their holiday celebrations. On the other hand, in Iraq, they celebrate Christmas for three days and they go to church every day of the celebrations starting with a two-hour midnight mass on Christmas. (Denha-Garmo, 2004). Also gifts are not exchanged in Iraq. Instead each person will wear new clothing bought especially for Christmas. When people visit each other’s homes, they give the children some money, usually a small amount. Also in Iraq, the priest visits every Chaldean family and offers blessings to their home. He will spend few minutes at each house in order to be able to visit every family. One of the children in the family reads Christmas stories from the Bible. The other members of the family hold lighted candles, and as soon as the story has been read, a bonfire is lit (Denha-Garmo, 2004). While Christmas in America is the same, with an addition to of gifts giving, hanging Christmas stocking and Santa Claus. The general structure of the Chaldean liturgical year is laid out in seven seasons of seven-week cycles, and in order to be consistent with the seven-week cycle theme, Chaldeans celebrate Lent on the