A Yazidi embraces a pillar as he makes a wish at the Lalish temple situated in a valley near Dahuk, 430 Kilometers (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, during the community's congregation ritual, late 08 October 2006. The congregation, which lasts for six days, includes three old rituals: the visit, the blessing and the baptism. The main ritual is the sacrifice in which an ox is slaughtered amid religions hymns. Yazidis, who are believed to number about 1.2 million in the world through a very secretive community which normally shuns all outsiders, are meeting for the first time in three years due to the volatile situation in the war torn country. The Yazidi religious sect is a syncretic combination of Zoroastrian, Manichaean, Jewish, Nestorian Christian, and Islamic elements. AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)