Pilgrimage to Iyık Janyl
Feast of St. Janyl, Mother of Irad · 23 - 25 August 2002
Irad Enesi Janyl, biz üçün tileniñiz! (St. Janyl, Mother of Irad, pray for us!)
Pilgrimage to Iyık Janyl
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This year 27 youth + Fr. Gewargis + 4 parents (for control us, ha ha) go to Iyık Janyl for feast of St. Janyl, 24 August. It is the holy city and the mother church of all Iradi Christians. From Talas it is about 235 km by Fergana Mountain Transit Highway, over the Fergana Gateway pass, then down near Tash-Kömür and then up the small road (12 km) to the city. Bus take 7 hours because of stops, checkpoint near the power stations and because Bakai was sick in the bus two times. Here is photos! Some photos is not loading, I will fix it. Click photo to see big. |
 Friday 5:00 - our bus in front of church. Everybody sleeping, only Fr. Gewargis is happy. |
 Fergana Gateway pass, 2,480 m! Cold even in August. We stop and sing the hymn for travellers. Kanykei saw snow first time in summer. |
 Valley on the way down. There is a spring near the road with white ribbons on the tree, everybody tie ribbon and drink water. |
 Tash-Kömür from the hill, with Naryn river. Very hot here! From here it is only 20 km to Iyık Janyl. |
 CHURCH OF ST. JANYL (1727)!!! The most important photo and it not work. I will try upload again. The church is not so big like I think, but very old and beautiful, with carved gypsum walls and the old crosses. Inside it is dark and full of arsha smoke and candles. So many people! We could not go inside for Qurbana, we stand outside in the yard with thousands of pilgrims and listen from speakers. When the priests come out with the icon of St. Janyl everybody is quiet. I was crying, not ashamed. |
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 Ruins of Old Iyık Janyl (Shar-i-Kuhna). Adilet try to explain us the history for one hour. He want to be archeologist. |
 Group photo after Qurbana with Fr. Gewargis. Everybody have kümöch in hand! |
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Where we sleep: In a school gym with other pilgrims from Talas, on shyrdak and sleeping bags. Nobody sleep much because the boys from Nurzhan parish sing until 2 at night. Sunday: Morning Qurbana in a small church in the city, then bus home. In Tash-Kömür we stop in teahouse for lunch and on TV was IradOne showing that cartoon with Homer who eat kazy from horse - they show it every year in the week of St. Janyl. Everybody laughing but the old man in teahouse was very angry and change channel. :-) Thank you to Fr. Gewargis, to parents who drive and control, to the American friends from the base who give money for bus, and to St. Janyl who bring us back safe. Next year we go again! Who want to come, tell Asel already now. |
IRAD WEBRING