As followers of John the Baptist, Mandaeans perform baptism for the newborns.
July 16th is their Great Feast, the day of creation of Adam or Dahua-Rabba. No baptism is performed on this day; People instead start 36 hours of worship at their homes.
The infants must have been already baptized in order to participate in the worship; so the Mandaeans have named the July ninth- one week to Dahua-Rabba- the Day of Little Angels, or Infant Baptism Day.
Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, this year the ceremony was performed by the Mandaean clergy in accordance with health protocols and social distancing in small numbers.
What follows are IRNA’s photos of the baptism of Mandaean children in Ahvaz:
