Copts also give candles to the poor. They are said to represent the candles Joseph used to protect Mary on the night of Jesus's birth. The Coptic language is used in the church ceremonies and religious songs. It is the old language of the nation before the Arabs came to Egypt. On the eve of January 6th, the Christians go to the churches to celebrate. The bells of the churches and monasteries ring with joy and the priests wear their ceremonial clothes.
After the service, the people return to their homes, where they dine on soup and fatta , made of meat and rice. They also eat special sweet biscuits marked with a cross. Those biscuits are called Kahk and were originally eaten by Moslems on Eid el Fitr when Moslems, too, break their fast. Generally speaking, the essence and spirit of Christmas on both those dates is basically the same. The differences between how they are celebrated are minor, and mainly lie in cultural aspects.
Egyptian culture is inevitably integrated in Coptic Christmas, causing it to feel slightly different than the typical brightly lit, present-giving, snowy Christmases that we see in Western movies. This fasting entails not consuming anything derived from animals basically vegan-ism , although it is permissible to eat fish.
This over a month long period of fasting usually leads to an amazing Christmas dinner to break the fast — imagine the typical idea of a Christmas dinner you have in your head, and add to that some of your favorite traditional Egyptian dishes.
Most people are familiar with the idea of buying each other Christmas presents and leaving them under the tree to open on Christmas Day. And what is Christmas without a feast?
Christmas dinner is one of the most anticipated parts of the holiday, and when family members usually bring out the big guns showcasing their best dishes.
Whether you celebrate Christmas on December 25th or January 7th, the centerpiece of the dining table is of course the turkey. As the majestic Christmas turkey lies at the centre of the table, one will fin a variety of dishes surrounding it — all of different colors, smells, and tastes. A day before Coptic Christmas, most people observe a short fast and celebrate the day with feasting with friends and family members. Most think that the actual birth date of Jesus Christ is unknown due to the little information available.
In the Bible, the Gospel of St. The birth date of Jesus by most people is celebrated on 25th of December, but some as per the traditional info celebrate the same on January 7th, every year. Coptic Christmas is also known as Old Christmas Day. In England and Scotland switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, for example.
The January 7th datew as valid between and but since Coptic Christmas must be celebrated on the 8th of January, one day later. The Coptic month before Christmas is called kiahk and is observed for 43 days from 25th November to January 6. During this time Christians eat special food, which is all vegetarian. They stay away from consuming animal products during this time. The special fast is called The Holy Nativity Fast, where prayers are done for the weak. On Coptic Christmas Eve people go to church for a special service.
This is the time when people meet up with friends at the church and the services usually go past midnight, at some places until 4 am.
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