Early Indications: a Conciliatory Christmas in Egypt

Given the tensions that have built over the past week, Egypt entered Eastern Christmas last night with high nervousness, but there were wonderful signs of interfaith unity as well: Muslims planning to attend Midnight Mass or surround the churches as a human shield against attacks; statements of national unity from al-Azhar and most other religious bodies, and the like.

The early indications are positive. At Pope Shenouda's Midnight service at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Cairo (left), twelve government ministers were in attendance, as were Gamal Mubarak and his brother ‘Alaa, the French and US Ambassadors, and Muslim dignitaries. All seems to have gone smoothly, though with heavy security presence.

Egyptian Muslims seem really incensed about the Alexandria bombings, and so far they seem to be displaying a refreshing and welcome support of their Christian countrymen. If there were troubles in the provinces we may not hear of them right away, but in Cairo at least, despite strict security (and the cancellation by the churches of most Christmas celebrations other than liturgical ones out of mourning for the dead), things seem to have gone off well for the midnight celebrations.

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Merry Christmas, Part Two

If you're Middle Eastern, or any sort of Orthodox or other eastern Christian, and/or ecumenical and believe you can never have too many Christmases, a Happy Orthodox/Eastern Christmas to you today. The Julian calendar having now diverged from the Gregorian by 13 days, it's rather neat: just as Western Christians are celebrating 12th Night/Epiphany/Three Kings Day and the 12 Drummers are drumming on January 6, suddenly it's Christmas Eve in the old calendar and we get to start the whole process again.

But then many Armenians celebrate on the Julian Three Kings Day, so we've still got one to go.

So Merry Christmas, Part Two.

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A Nervous Christmas Eve

Tonight is Orthodox Christmas Eve under the Julian calendar, and in the wake of the Alexandria bombing and subsequent demonstrations, Egyptian Copts are naturally nervous. Though there has been a fairly impressive display of Muslim support for Copts coming from al-Azhar and other religious institutions, and many Muslims are expected to hold vigils outside churches during Christmas celebrations, the recent bombing, combined with last year's Christmas attack in Nag Hammadi, fuels apprehension. Security is high and police are expected to be present around churches.

I'll have more to say soon. Meanwhile, there's an interesting analysis here.

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As Eastern Christmas Approaches, a Rerun

With Eastern Christmas only three days away and with Christian-Muslim tensions running high in Egypt, I thought it might be time to have a rerun from last year: the traditional Coptic stories of the Holy Family in Egypt. Christian tradition, and in some cases Muslim tradition has well, has taken the brief Biblical mention of the Flight into Egypt and spun a marvelous travelogue in which the Holy Family visit most of the country. At a difficult time in Egypt, it may be worth remembering these charming folktales once again.

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Bethlehem's Christmas: A Good Turnout

Bethlehem seems to have ha a good Latin Christmas, making up for the dip last year. Reportedly a 60% increase in pilgrims. Here is a roundup of some videos and reports from last Friday and Saturday:

A video of good turnout in Bethlehem:



A Palestine News Network report on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem:



A BBC report on the usual quarrels over who gets to repair the roof of the Church of the Nativity; it seems the Palestinian Authority is stepping in to get things done. The video doesn't embed so you need to follow the link.



An Al Jazeera report and article:




Another Al Jazeera English report on Palestinian tour agencies taking tourists to different sites:




Another piece on Syrian Christians in Jerusalem:

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For Western Christmas, a Taste of Eastern Christmas

For Western Christmas, having already done Fairuz singing familiar Western carols in English, I thought it might be worth sampling a bit of indigenous Christmas music from the lands where the faith began. This replaces the usual Weekend Historical Videos for this week. Most Roman Catholics and Protestants tend to be pretty ignorant of the Eastern Churches (even, among Catholics, of the Eastern Catholic churches in union with Rome). They may have a vague familiarity with the Orthodox tradition, but know little of the Maronite, Syriac Orthodox, Antiochian Orthdodox, Melkite, Coptic, Armenian, Chaldean or Assyrian traditions.

I think I told the story here once before of an Arab Christian who grew tired of being asked by Western hostesses, on learning he was a Christian, "Which missionary group converted your people?" He always answered, "Jesus Christ and the 12 Apostles." After all, it started there: the New Testament itself says Jesus was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, and was crucified in Jerusalem; that his followers were first called "Christians" in Antioch, and so on. Yet to Western Christians, the Eastern branches of the faith are a mystery. Yet most historians agree that the oldest Christian liturgy still in use today is in the Church of the East (the Assyrian Church).

Oh, the television networks will broadcast a snippet of the Latin Patriarch's Christmas Eve service in Bethlehem, though the majority of Arab Christians will celebrate on the Eastern date in January.

So here are a variety of the varied Middle Eastern traditions, some recorded in the region and some in the diaspora. One or two are reruns from last year, but most are new.

A Coptic hymn to Mary. The Coptic language, now only a liturgical, tongue, is a descendant of Ancient Egyptian:



In the Antiochian Orthodox tradition, a Byzantine Christmas Hymn in Arabic:



A Chaldean Christmas hymn. The Chaldeans are the Eastern Catholic analogue of the Church of the East (Assyrians):



These two from the Lebanese Maronite tradition:





Syriac Orthodox: An entrance prcession for Christmas 2007/8 at a Syriac Orthodox Chruch in Aleppo: amid traditional sounding Eastern music there's also a singing of Silent Night in Syriac as the celebrants enter.



Church of the East (Assyrian):



For an Armenian Christmas I can't resist a repeat from last year, since it combines a Nativity scene with dancing Santas and mixes Eastern and Western music:



And to recall the ancient Armenian Church's more traditional music, this:



And with that, being a fat guy with a white beard, I have a busy evening ahead. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

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Christmas Eve in Bethlehem: a Better Year? And a Look at Last Year

Christmas Eve greetings; let's talk about Bethlehem and its problems today.

Bethlehem (Beth Lechem in Hebrew, "house of bread," and the cognate Bayt Lahm in Arabic, "house of meat," from a presumed Semitic root that meant something like "staple food": bread for an agricultural population, meat for a pastoral one) is a pretty town set in the Judean hills a dozen miles or so south of Jerusalem. It has some spectacular views out across the hills and desert towards the Dead Sea, and the "Little Town of Bethlehem" is a crowded city these days, where Muslims and Christians share the town; Muslims are in majority, but the Mayor is, under Palestinian Authority rules, always a Christian.

According to the Old Testament, Bethlehem was the home town of King David, and thus Messianic prophecies became associated with it. Tradition says that Jacob's wife Rachel is buried there, though there are conflicting traditions. But Bethlehem's real claim to fame is of course known to every Christmas caroler: the only two Gospels that describe Jesus' birth agree it was in Bethlehem, despite their many differences in details.

There are reports ahead of tonight's Big Night in Bethlehem that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's efforts to increase tourism to the Palestinian Authority are making this a more optimistic year for the West Bank city, whose primary tourism season is, of course, Christmas. I hope they're right. It's been a rough period for Bethlehem, which is pretty much a one-industry town, or maybe two: pilgrimage and olive wood. If you're not interested in the olive wood manger scenes or crosses, the craftsmen can pull out olive wood crescents, stars of David, or even Menorahs, but religion and olive wood are about the whole economy.

Last year, and most recent years, have been more awkward. The Israeli separation barrier, the Wall, not only blocks the pilgrimage route between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, slowing down pilgrimages, but runs right down one side of the main street into town, or what used to be, due to the Separation Wall dividing Bethlehem from Israeli-controlled Rachel's Tomb runs right down what was formerly the road; the satellite view in Google Earth shows just how bizarre the wall is in this part of its course. I haven't personally been there since the wall was built, and from the video and other views I've seen, I think I'm glad.

And Rachel's Tomb is one of Bethlehem's Holy Places. Being Jewish, it is separated by a wall from the Christian ones.

I don't intend to get into all the arguments about the wall here; I do believe with Robert Frost that "Something there is that doesn't love a wall," but I also understand why the Israelis built it. On the other hand, its impact on Bethlehem has been pretty devastating.

A Time video from last year:



And an AlJazeera English video, also on last year's Christmas, on the way the separation fence and other tensions have hurt tourism:



A Palestinian video showing celebrations, demonstrations, confrontations, and parties at home:



Mahmud ‘Abbas at the Church of the Nativity last Christmas:



And on the subject of the wall, there's this video and song I also posted last year, using as background a song by Canadian Christian singer Garth Hewitt:



There'll be one more Christmas post before the weekend, so stay tuned.

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Weekend Historical Videos: the Holy Land 1911 to the 1930s

For my weekly Weekend Historical Videos, I thought it might be seasonally appropriate to show some video of the Holy Land in early travelogues and films. General Allenby entered Jerusalem on December 11, 1917, on foot (because the Kaiser had ridden a white horse, and many commented that Jesus had been satisfied with a donkey). Allenby, whose arrival in Jerusalem is shown on some of the WWI videos I've previously posted, said the taking of Jerusalem from the Turks was "a Christmas present for the British people." Thirty years later the British would not be so thankful for the Mandate. But taking Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas, when the Western Front was still bogged down and Russia was leaving the war, was seen as symbolic. Allenby walking into Jerusalem is shown beginning at the 0:40 second mark on this clip:



Even earlier, this is alleged to be the first film of Palestine, made in 1911:



Most travelogues of the early Mandate era tended to emphasize Christian sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, so they're seasonally appropriate. The earliest ones are silent, of course. Many represent the classic travelogue view of the Holy Land (camels, donkeys, "just like in the Bible," unchanging people). I hope running these doesn't reinforce the stereotype; there are a few shots here which aren't as cliche-ridden.

Gethsemane and Bethlehem 1929 (also and inevitably, camels):



Hebron in the 1920s: Old pics of the Haram al-Khalil/Tombs of the Patriarchs, other sites, and of course lots of camels:



Jerusalem in the 20s: Jaffa Gate, Herod's Gate, old cars:



Damascus to Jerusalem, 1932:



Jerusalem 1930: Part Two; I couldn't find part one:



Another Jerusalem in the 1930s



And still stereotypical, Damascus and Jerusalem in 1938 (made for Western audiences, emphasis on camels, donkeys, and "time never changes" themes):



Just for contrast in narratives (and as a lesson in how to frame your message), here's a video presumably made in the Zionist Yishuv about Tel Aviv, an early color video, and clearly sending a completely different message:

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Preparing for the Christmases

Now that we've celebrated Hannukah, Ra's al-Sana, and ‘Ashura, our ecumenical holiday season can start preparing for Christmases. As I've noted previously, whatever the many problems facing Middle Eastern Christians in too many countries today, they still have more Christmases than we in the West. Latin Catholics, Protestants, and some Eastern Catholics celebrate the Western Christmas on December 25, while the Orthodox and Oriental varieties of Christianity mark the Julian Christmas on January 7. Except for the Armenians who generally celebrate on the Epiphany on January 6, but the Armenian Churches of the Holy Land mark it under the old calendar on January 18. Our impoverished Western 12 days of Christmas seems rather limited.

As the Christmases approach I'll be posting new material and perhaps a rerun or two of classics in last year's Christmas-tagged posts, which kept appearing through all possible Christmases. To start with a perennial, the great Lebanese singer Fairuz (now in her 70s; clearly much younger in the clip) singing "Silent Night," but in Arabic of course:



And for those with more secular tastes, Jingle Bells in Arabic:



And one I don't think I've run before, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" in Arabic:



Don't worry, indigenous Middle Eastern Christmas music will be showing up as well.

And let us all, whatever holidays we celebrate, hope there will be no repetition of last year's Nag Hammadi killings on Coptic Christmas.

Oh, and the Weekend Historical Videos due up later today will have a seasonal theme, too.

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A light in a callous world where, contrary to everything the Savior said, the poor and powerless get short shrift

(LP note: This piece starts off slowly but ends with a hammer throw to the heart. I teach writing; this is a piece I will require future students to study....)

In a 10th Avenue deli, an elegant girl from the prairie manages a herd of damaged boys with grace and good humor

My Christmas Vision

BY GARRISON KEILLOR

My little girl was born within a week of Christmas and, believe you me, conceiving one to hatch on target like that is no simple task. It takes planning and biotechnology, and the male is force-fed raw oysters, and the female must hang upside down in a dark room for hours.

I was 55 at the time and remember it well. This bonus baby was the last grandchild in my family, a last attempt to breed some frivolity and high-spiritedness into our somber Anglo line, and we seem to have succeeded. She is a socialite and comedian who shows almost no interest in clothes or toys or other material goods, despite our best efforts, and who only craves beautiful experiences such as swimming, a train ride, a party, lunch in a cafe with tablecloths and oddball waiters, or a stage show with singing and dancing and not too much smooching (euuuuuuu).

We brought her to New York in time to catch the big Christmas snowstorm, and she got to see the Radio City Christmas show in which one Rockette kicked off a shoe and kept dancing though off-kilter. Priceless.

(Read the rest here.)

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