Christmas traditions in the Arab world

Some celebrate Christmas with parties and gifts, while others fast and pray. Every country has its own special way of bringing on Christmas, be it Egypt or Iran. Anjana Das finds out how Christmas is celebrated in different regions of the Arab world.

Christmas in this part of the world is not so much white or about roast Turkey and trimmings. Nonetheless it is still a time of elaborate family gatherings, of warmth shared and a spirit of gaiety. As the predominant religion in the Middle East is Muslim, it is interesting to see how traditional Christmas celebrations have been flavoured with a bit of the local culture.

Family and food is an overwhelming element of the tradition in Lebanon, while it is not complete without a bonfire in Iraq. For the Copts in Egypt, Christmas celebrations go all the way till January 7. The result is a curious mix of East and West which makes it a wonderful time to be in this part of the world.

The touch of peace
It is the beginning of December and women hurry to the grocer to make the best koleicha ever. Filled with walnut, dates and aromatic spices, every Christian family in Iraq has their own secret recipe. Handpicked friends and family join in the making of this sweet cake, several kilos of it which will be distributed far and wide to the grocer, postman, local butcher and so on. As the women work in the kitchen, children are kept busy with spring cleaning and finding decorations for the Christmas tree.

On the eve, most families go for midnight mass. After the service, the bishop blesses one person who then passes on the touch to the person next to him and so on until all are blessed. At home, there is a bible reading session as the family members gather around holding candles. The ritual continues with the bonfire, in the courtyard. Good luck is guaranteed if the thorn bushes burn till the end (in Portugal, extra plates of food are served at the table for the souls to be appeased and bring luck to the family) and you jump over the ashes three times to make your wish to God.

The most important part comes next - visiting relatives. It starts right after midnight mass and continue till the wee hours of the morning. Today, a mere 3% of Iraq profess Christianity but their origins can be traced back to the first century and were probably the earliest Christians.

Re-creating the Nativity scene
In Lebanon elaborate preparations are underway, much earlier. Not much attention is given to the Christmas tree, while 'the crib' takes on a symbolic significance. Much ingenuity and skill goes into recreating the Nativity scene with farm animals, the three wise men and ofcourse the stable. Children are dispatched to fetch anything that could be used. A bit of exaggeration is allowed and sometimes you see very imaginatively dressed angels hanging above the barn or cave, depending on what the children could find.

Women put their kitchen wisdom to use - getting beans and grains to sprout in the cold winter is no easy feat. Sunlit window sills and every bit of sun on balconies and verandas are covered with growing stalks.

"Christmas in Lebanon is always a close knit, family atmosphere," explains Caroline Bousraih, a Lebanese who grew up in the US. According to Bousraih, Lebanese Christmas brings in a bit of the French customs. "So you drop in for coffee at your aunts; lunches and feasts with grandparents," she remembers the Christmas at her grandmother's place, "home-made liqueur goes around and there is plenty of warmth and cheer." The expensive gifts and the lavish shopping sprees that is a significant part of American Christmas, was unheard of, she says.

Lebanon is the only few places in the Middle east where you can celebrate a White Christmas with snow, perfect for Yule log burning. Less than an hour's drive from Beirut are the mountains where you can rent out chalets and spend Christmas playing in the snow with your children, or waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney. Some of the resorts have special events marking Christmas with games and parties for children.

A different day for the Copts
As with most of the orthodox christian communities, Egypt's predominant Copts celebrate christmas on January 7, as per the old calendar. The Catholics continue to go for Holy mass on the eve of Christmas all dressed in their new clothes.

But the service held at the Coptic church in old Cairo is a very austere event, held by candle light and to the chanting of hymns accompanied by cymbals. What is peculiar is the 43 days of fasting when meat, poultry, fish or even butter (as it is an animal product) is not consumed.

Women of the household like in any other Middle eastern culture, go about making kahk (a kind of hard cake) without tasting it of course (still on fast). The weeks preceding Christmas is obvious on the streets of Cairo. Shops are lit, cotton wool is left on sills to simulate snow and plenty of freshly cut Christmas trees go on sale. Lots of bargains are to be made as most shops go on sale during December.

Silver and red decorations fill up shop windows, local versions of the 'silent night' can be heard booming from street-side stalls, as people throng the streets shopping for themselves, their children or for gifts. Hotels at weekend getaways start advertising their special offers of stay-one-night get-one-free. Beach resorts and Nile cruises put up special events and shows during Christmas. Many people organize Christmas dinners at home inviting friends and colleagues over.

Those who cannot afford the ritzy restaurants, have their own merrymaking by the Nile. Picnic hampers with shorbet (sweet drink) and feteer (kind of pie stuffed with mince meat or cheese) along with balloons and footballs make it to the public gardens where the whole day and a major part of the night is spent. Some of the youngsters might team up with their compatriots and cruise up and down the Nile in one of the brightly decorated feluccas with popular music blaring.

One way or the other, Egyptian life has to be associated with the Nile.

Christmas in the land of the Three Wise Men
They came bearing gifts.
For a country that is so closely associated with the birth of Jesus, (for the three wise men came are believed to have come from Persia,  current day Iran) Christmas is a much low key affair. The first 25 days preceding Christmas are spent fasting and meditating. It follows  the same pattern of the Copts and no animal products are eaten. The little fast is broken with the little feast (the big feast is saved for  Easter) on Christmas after receiving the holy communion.

Needless to say, Christmas is celebrated within the family with elaborate dishes of meat and rice and cakes and specialties like the  Harasa (a soup made from chicken). Children have a great time as they are often gifted new clothes and go around whole day admiring  each others toys.

Christmas may not be a public holiday for the 1% Christian population in Iran, but in Syria it is. After all, the two million Christians make  up 10% of the Syrian population. Christmas celebrations are more obvious today than it was in the past. Sunday schools organize plays  depicting the Nativity using elaborate sets and props for the scenes. Festivities and sermons take place across churches in the country  for which majority of Christians turn up.

"Last year the main square in Damascus was decorated with a Christmas tree," Sarah a Syrian Christian who is now living with her  husband in Dubai, tells me. "Christmas for most of the elders in the family starts with the 40 days of fast till 25th December." A  Christmas tree is brought home and decorated with stars, bells and silver balls.

As in the rest of the region, Christmas mass is followed by the breaking of the fast. "But as kids, our day began with the excitement of  opening all the presents, kept under the tree," recalls Susan.

Christmas for Susan was always at her grandmother's house, 'with a hearty Christmas lunch of roast Turkey and rice with chestnut.'  Khabissa, a sweet dish made from walnut and grape puree cooked over slow fire (for almost a day) is a traditional must for the  orthodox Christians and so is the berak (similar to the sambousak) only that a couple of them are baked with the coin in it. Who ever  lands up with the coin is the lucky one. The women folk stay back at home to receive guests who might drop in, while the elders and  men in the family visit other relatives. Children make sure they hang around, for this is one time of the year, when gifts are a must  when you visit.

Notwithstanding the culture in the Middle East, there is a common tradition that holds Christmas festivities in all these countries. Each  society adds their own rituals to this common tradition to make Christmas unique in this part of the world.

By Anjana Das