VARIOUS: Coptic and Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas

Record ID: 492485

  • Title: VARIOUS: Coptic and Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas
  • Date: 7th January 2006
  • Summary: (BN01) BELGRADE, SERBIAMONTENEGRO (JANUARY 6, 2006) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) HAS INTERIOR OF ST. SAVAS CHURCH, PEOPLE ATTENDING MIDNIGHT LITURGY CLOSE UP OF PRIEST HOLDING LITURGY VARIOUS OF LITURGY SCU PEOPLE LIGHTING CANDLES CLOSE UP ON CANDLES HAS PEOPLE RECEIVING BLESSING SLV PRIESTS BURNING YULE LOG; SLV YULE LOGS BEING BURNED; CLOSE UP ON PEOPLE STANDING BY BONFIRE, WATCHING YULE LOGS BURNING; WIDE OF THE SCENE (VARIOUS
  • Embargoed: 22nd January 2006 12:00
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  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVACOMI5F9HVKO55MHZA3FBZUZBP
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  • Story Text: Orthodox and Coptic Christians celebrated Christmas
    mass late on Friday night (January 6+7).
    Christmas mass took place in Russian Orthodox churches
    across Russia on Friday.
    The patriarch of Moscow Alexius II presided over mass
    at Christ the Saviour Church in Moscow.
    Russians celebrate Christmas according to the old
    Julian calendar which places the birthday of Jesus Christ
    13 days after the new Georgian (secular) calendar, which
    places Christmas on December 25th.
    On January 7th, 13 days after Christmas is celebrated
    in many parts of the world, Christmas is marked by many
    Orthodox Christians.
    Today, most Orthodox churches use the Gregorian
    Calendar to celebrate fixed feasts like Christmas, using
    the Julian Calendar only for Easter and moveable feasts.
    But the Orthodox Church -- whose followers are spread
    all over Central and Eastern Europe and beyond -- together
    with the Eastern Rite Church and the Orthodox communities
    of Jerusalem, Mount Athos, Georgia, and Serbia, continue to
    celebrate Christmas old style -- on January 7th.
    In the Eastern tradition, Christmas is preceded by a
    40-day fast, beginning on 15 November -- and only ending on
    the evening of Christmas Eve with the appearance of the
    first star.
    Traditionally, in the meal that follows, no meat is
    served -- while the centre-piece of the occasion is Kutya,
    a sort of porridge made of grains to symbolise hope, honey for happiness and poppy seeds for peace.
    Christmas plays a secondary role in the popular
    imagination to the celebration of New Year.
    For most Serbs, though, the real cause for celebration
    is not Christmas itself but the fact that official
    recognition of the Orthodox Christmas extends the holiday
    break to 10 days.
    But the old ways may be coming back. Many young Serbs
    are returning to the church and traditions that just a
    decade ago most had thought long dead are undergoing a
    revival.
    Egyptians however follow the Coptic Church which
    follows the old calendar and celebrates Christmas on
    January 6th.
    St Mark, who spent much time in Egypt founded it, and
    is said to have wrote his Gospel there.
    Egyptian Coptic Christians also go in for more fasts
    than in the West. Fasting is supposed to purify the body
    and lead the mind to spiritual things.
    The preceding Advent season is forty-days long and
    people abstain from eating meat, poultry or dairy products
    during this period.
    However, people only follow this dictum for the last
    week of Advent.
    On Christmas Eve Egyptians attend church dressed in a
    new outfit and the service lasts until midnight.
    Bells ring to mark the end of the service and people
    disperse after receiving special bread called 'qurban'
    (sacrifice) at the conclusion of the service.
    The bread has a Holy Cross in the middle and 12 dots to
    represent the 12 apostles. They then eat a special
    Christmas meal in their homes, which is known as 'Fatta'.
    This meal uses bread, rice, garlic and boiled meat as
    its main constituents.
    In the morning, people visit their friends and
    neighbours and exchange 'kahk' (a type of shortbread) that
    is eaten with a drink called 'sharbat'.
    Christmas is celebrated as a public holiday, especially
    for Christians.
    The church is decorated with candles and lamps during
    Christmas to remind Christians of the time Joseph lit
    candles to keep the cold away from Mary during the
    Nativity, after the Holy Family fled to Egypt.
    Both Muslims and Christians celebrate the birth of
    Jesus with equal enthusiasm and Christmas traditions are
    influenced by regional culture throughout Egypt.
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