Christmas in the Middle East
Christmas scene of Mary’s Well square, with the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, a Christmas tree, locals and tourists, in Nazareth.BY: Adrian Tafesh/Contributing Writer
Christianity in the Middle East is as old as Christianity itself. The traditions, celebrations, and rituals of the Christians of the Levant, Iraq, and North Africa reflect cultures that have been molded by a sense of ancient belonging to the region. As with Islam, the Christianity in the Middle East is deeply provincial and the land carries nearly as much religious significance as it does cultural.
These Christian communities are marked by the diversity that is so characteristic of the Middle East at large and the Arab world in specific. Many of these groups claim an identity independent of the Arabs. Such groups as the Maronite Catholics of Lebanon, the Chaldeans of Iraq, and the Coptic Orthodox of Egypt identify with the pre-Arab Christians of the region. Still other Christians in those countries as well as Palestine, Syria and Jordan do maintain a sense of Arab identity. Arabic is spoken ubiquitously among all of these groups, with a few small enclaves of Syrian Aramaic-speakers.
Though there are many striking similarities between the cultural and religious practices of the Christians and their neighbors in the region, there are also many practices that delineate these groups even from one another. In honor of the Christmas season, Arab America presents a brief look at a few of the many places and traditions that make Christianity in the Middle East truly unique on the world stage:
Christmas in Bethlehem
Christmas Parade in Bethlehem
Every Christmas Eve the Christian Palestinian residents of Bethlehem mark the birth of Jesus with a parade through the city center. Young Palestinians of various age groups dress in what resemble scouting uniforms and bagpipes and snare drums are played as the parade marches, a remnant of British colonial tradition.The festivities culminate in the mass at the Church of the Nativity, believed to be built over the birthplace of Jesus Christ. In the spirit of the complete holiness of the location, the Church is jointly administered by the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian Apostolic churches.
Kadisha Valley
Qozhaya Monastery, Kadisha Valley
Kadisha means “holy” in Aramaic, and indeed the valley, which runs through a section of the North Governate in Lebanon, is the spiritual center of the Maronite Catholic Churh. The Valley is actually more a deep gorge that drops severely on either side creating a massive natural boundary. This made it an ideal location for the construction of monasteries, which place an emphasis on seclusion and peaceful reflection. To the east, the valley rises up to a high plain on which sits the beautiful town of Bcharre, the hometown of Khalil Gibran. Bcharre is home to the Cedars of God, a small area of Lebanese Cedar that is the only surviving part of a once massive Cedar forest that was depleted over time by various empires.
Bcharre, Lebanon
Aramaic in Ma’loula
Maaloula, Syria
Maaloula is one of three towns in Syria in which a majority Christian population had maintained the Aramaic language. Carved into a cliff side, the town is home to some two thousand people, though that number swells during the summer as tourists come in large numbers. Maaloula is split between a Christian and Muslim population. The Muslims of the town speak Aramaic as well and were never culturally Arabized as completely as their fellow Syrians. Tragically, In the past few years the town has been fought over by The Nusrah Front and Syrian Government forces.
Coptic Cave Church
One of the most unique churches in the Middle East, and in fact the entire world, is the Cave Church in southeastern Cairo. In the middle part of the twentieth century a portion of the Coptic population who worked in garbage scavenging (zabaleen) were forcibly relocated by the government to the part of the city around the Mokattam Cliffs. They carved a monastery and church out of those cliffs and to this day services are held there. The walls display various images and religious phrasing, and the seating expands upward and outward stadium-style. The overall effect is one of tremendous profundity, a fitting place to worship the awesome power of God.
Cave Church, Cairo
Arab America would like to wish it’s readers a joyful and peaceful Christmas, whether you celebrate on December 25th or January 7th.