The night of the 14th on the 15th of Sha’ban every year is a holiday full of love and mythological imagination. This night is known as the night of Baraat.
There are different opinions about the origin of this night, some see it as an Islamic occasion, according to a hadith of the Prophet that mentions the sacred night of 15 Sha’ban. during which the God descends from the highest to the lowest heaven so that He may hear His followers’ prayers and grant them mercy for their sins . some Islamic scholars believe that the Qibla of Muslims changed from Jerusalem to Mecca on this night, or some say that the source of the water of Zamzam burst on this night. On the other hand, there are many other Islamic figures and groups who reject these ideas and say: This night has nothing to do with Islam.
Kurdish historians generally date it back to the pre-Islamic period, saying that Barat is associated with the religion of Mithras. This religion has studied the philosophy of the night.
from the rocky summits of eastern mountains at dawn, and goes through heaven with a group of four white horses; when the night falls he still illumines the sur face of the world “ever walking ever watchful.” He is not sun or moon or any star, but a spirit of light, ever wakeful, watching with a 100 eyes. He hears all and sees all: none can deceive him. Mithra was the god of wide pastures and the giver of gifts. He was worthy of sacrifice and worship and desired the respect and prayer of the faithful, on whom he be- stowed bounteous gifts. On the other hand, he was a warrior of violent and bitter nature; the forces of evil were his enemies, and he joined with Sraosha (Obe- dience) and Rashnu (Justice) in opposing them. The fame of Mithra spread as the kurdistan expanded, and he became particularly strong in eastern nation Minor. Many of the kurdish Kings grew very fond of Mithra and sponsored worship of him. It was during this time that the worship of Mithra raised into an independent faith. It is interesting to know that as Mithraism was spreading through the kurdistan it was constantly borrowing ideas from other cultures. When it came in contact with Semitic star worship, it assimilated much of it as well as some of the mythology of ancient Babylon. Also the cult in- corporated many local practices and ideas from Asia Minor. Finally it was influenced to a certain extent by Hellenistic culture. After having consolidated its the- ology and drawing into its ranksxmany converts in Asia Minor and kurdistan, Mithraism had almost reached its climax. It was, however, the latest religion of its kind to become popular in the Roman empire.
The name Baratish, which many people believe comes from the Arabic (baraat), but is basically an original Kurdish word and means several meanings such as: (gift, reward, wage, salary, donation, rights and sacrifice).
Dr. majid Khalil