http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/992/fe91.htm
1 - 7 April 2010
Issue No. 992
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875
Heralding Easter
A sense of awe and mysticism surrounds the sacerdotal functions in a Coptic
Orthodox Church, and none more so than during Holy Week leading to Easter. Jill
Kamil observes the preparations
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Click to view caption
Seller of wheat bushels, a symbol of wealth, well-being, prosperity and
joy looks forward to a Happy Easter. Meanwhile, for Palm Sunday, there is the
promise of a better tomorrow
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Preparations for Easter commence with a 55-day fast when cereals and foods of
plant origin cooked in olive oil form the main diet. No animal products -- no
meat, eggs, milk or fish -- are consumed, nor even coffee. Spring is in the
air, and on street corners in predominantly Christian areas of Cairo,
palm-fronds woven into crosses of all sizes are sold on street corners. Some
are rosettes in an exquisite design which people hang on the front doors of
their houses. Others adorn the sitting room, and smaller ones are hung in
bedrooms. Palm fronds and any early spring growth is a feature of Easter --
rebirth in every sense of the word.
Palm Sunday falls a week before the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
shortly before his Passion, as mentioned in all four canonical gospels, and the
ritual is reminiscent of ancient times when the Pharaoh, having returned in
triumph after victory over his enemies, was met with green branches, the
blossoms of Spring, glorifying him as saviour and victor. Likewise, when Jesus
Christ returned to the Holy Land he was met by multitudes waving palm branches,
a symbol of victory over those who would do him harm, and to us today
symbolising resurrection.
During Holy Week ( Isbu Al-Alam or "Week of Pain" in Arabic) the Passion of
Jesus Christ is celebrated with specific events in the last week in his life,
culminating in Palm Sunday ( Hadd Al-Zaaf ) when, as in the early church, the
priest blesses fronds of the date palm and a procession is formed. The clergy,
bearing the cross, incense tapers and palm fronds, move round the church,
praying at each altar, the principal icons, and the reliquaries. On this day,
Copts also remember their own dear departed, visit family graves, and place
palm fronds and bunches of flowers around their tombs.
On Good Friday, which the Copts call Al-Gomaa Al-Hazina or "Sad Friday", church
altars are draped in black. This is followed by Sabt Al-Nur, "Saturday of
Light", so named after the miraculous light that appeared in the church of the
Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The bishop, in full ecclesiastical attire with
stole and crown, and assisted by the clergy who forms a semicircle around him,
stands before the elaborately adorned sanctuary screen of the church. Young
deacons in long white robes assist in the service. Special prayers are said for
the troubled and ailing, and, incidentally for "the River Nile" and for the
"fruits of the earth".
The opening of the door of the sanctuary to reveal the holy inner chambers with
the altar is an act that symbolises the rolling away of the stone from the tomb
where Jesus was laid, and from which he arose. The bishop and the clergy then
raise their crosses and banners high in jubilation and proceed round the
church, intoning a joyous hymn. Holy Communion follows, with members of the
congregation first shaking hands, symbolising fellowship, and then lining up
(men and women separately) to receive the Eucharist. Seven round loaves of
freshly-baked bread made of the finest wheat flour are baked in a special oven
by a member of the church. These are offered to the bishop, who carefully
inspects each one to select the perfect one to represent the faultlessness of
Jesus. The bread must not, according to long-established tradition, be cut with
a knife, but should always be broken by hand in a special manner. The pieces
are dipped in the holy wine -- unfermented wine made by soaking dried grapes in
water which is distributed to churches in large wicker-covered jars. Having
received the Eucharist (standing, not kneeling), the clergy move along the
aisle to give a final blessing, and as the congregation rises to leave the
church, they utter such phrases as "Christ has risen", and "Indeed, He has
risen". It is a joyous occasion. Easter celebrations provide a spiritual and
dramatic narrative of the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, from
the sorrows of his Passion through to the spirited tempo of Easter, his
resurrection.
One cannot help but be moved by Coptic hymns and chants for the celebration of
Lent, Holy Week, the Passion of Christ and "Light" Saturday, through to the
magnificent Resurrection chants. And so, in conclusion, I would add that the
late Ragheb Moftah, one of the founders of the Higher Institute of Coptic
Studies in the 1950s, established a music division and formed the first Coptic
Orthodox Choir. Moftah sought out the most accomplished cantors and deacons,
and spent his lifetime preserving the musical heritage of the church. He
established two centres to teach Coptic chant melodies, one in Bab Al-Hadid and
the other in Old Cairo, and subjected his talented students to a rigorous
training programme, recording their voices, and eventually completing the
entire corpus of Coptic Orthodox liturgical chants.
As members of the congregation exit the church, many purchase sacred loaves
which, like the Eucharist bread, are stamped with a cross at the centre,
representing Jesus, and with 12 small crosses representing his disciples. These
are later broken into pieces and placed under children's pillows as a personal
blessing.
Easter is a time for alms-giving, part of an age-old tradition in the Nile
Valley, when those of means help people less fortunate than themselves. It is
also a time for good fellowship and, of course, merry-making by children. They
walk along the streets, usually in groups to show off their new clothes bought
especially for the occasion. Those with bicycles weave crinkly coloured paper
into the spokes of their bicycles. Groups frequently hire a donkey-cart to
travel along the main thoroughfares of the city, and the sounds of singing and
drum-beating fill the air. Easter is a long holiday weekend, and an extremely
popular one, because the following day, Monday, is Sham Al-Nessim (literally
"smell the breeze"), the official first day of Spring and a national
celebration for the whole population, Muslim and Christian, which has its
origin in an ancient Egyptian festival associated with the rebirth of the land.
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