Arab American Christians Celebrate Easter Holiday
On Sunday, Arab Americans throughout the Metro Detroit area will celebrate Easter— the most significant annual religious feast in the Christian liturgical year.
This particular year, as well as in 2011, Easter will fall on the same day for both Christian Catholics and Orthodox, an atypical occurrence due to each denomination’s adherence of a different calendar.
This week marks Holy Week, with each day since last Sunday (Palm Sunday) signifying an act of Christ in the days leading up to his crucifixion, and later, resurrection.
Many Arab Americans attend church services throughout this 7-day period, with the majority in attendance for the week’s concluding Easter ceremony on either Saturday evening or Sunday morning.
Such services will take place in over 20 churches in the Metro Detroit area whose membership is representative of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, and Egypt.
To celebrate the Easter holiday, thousands of Arab Americans will gather with family and friends for a big feast in which they will break their fast from meat, dairy, and other foods of sacrifice.
Yet most characteristic of the holiday is the gathering of Arab American women to make the traditional Arabic Easter cookie “ca’ek”. It is made of dates, covered with dough, and is typically shaped into a circle– meant to represent the crown of thorns Christ was forced to wear during his crucifixion.
About 60% of local Arab Americans are of Christian faith. A vastly diverse community, they identify as Maronite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, Syrian Catholic, Chaldean Catholic, Roman Catholic, Antiochian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and Protestant.
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