The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is at the UN denouncing Israel as a “racist state” – again. Hooray, it’s spring time!!!
Greek procession around the tomb of Jesus!
Tomorrow I start my spring classes – perfect timing considering that I only finished my fall semester papers on Thursday. I wish I could say that I spent my spring break traveling the Middle East, but unfortunately I was cooped up for most of it, caught in a continuous cycle of writing, writing and writing. But it wasn’t all bad. I discovered some new television programs like Pushing Daisies (too bad it’s been canceled) and the Big Bang Theory, and I caught up with a few old ones like The Office and 30 Rock. But now I’m free as a bird, and since I no longer have play rehearsals to attend, I’m looking forward to discovering some new hobbies.
But what a better way to start off the season than by celebrating Easter – the mother of all holy holidays – in the Holy Land? Well, I technically celebrated Orthodox Easter, but I think it was a better choice on my part. After falling asleep at the Roman Catholic Christmas mass in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, I’ve realized that us Byzantine Catholics really have the better “tradition.” And Orthodox Christianity is practically the same thing. So on Saturday night, I hopped on a bus with my Orthodox-Russian/Ukrainian friend Anton (who is also from Parma, now attending med school in Haifa) to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem – the alleged site of the Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection!
At first, the experience was a bit disappointing. We stood close to the supposed tomb of Jesus to watch the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate process around the rotunda three times (an Eastern Christian tradition), but there were just too many tourists crowding the entire place. Worst of all, they were Russian tourists! If you have ever been to Ukraine or Russia, then you know what I’m getting at. Russians just seem to be completely bereft of manners. I don’t know if it has something to do with all those years of standing in long Soviet breadlines, but they push and snarl at you to no end. One camera-crazy lady even started shoving an altar boy just so she could take a better picture! Seriously, the way they act you would think that Stalin was coming to deport them all to Siberia tomorrow!
Syrian Coptic Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
The Greek Orthodox priests were no better. If you recall, in the fourth post of my (un)Holy Land series , I explained briefly that the Holy Sepulcher Church is tenuously divided among several different Christian groups and occasionally when one Christian sect crosses into another sects’ territory the whole Church erupts in fist fights (I tell ya, only in Jerusalem!). Well, I thought the hostilities were going to explode again on Easter Sunday. As tourists slowly made their way into Jesus’ final resting spot, a Greek priest suddenly marched right in and started shoving and pulling every one out. Apparently, he wanted to prepare the tomb for the mass, but he really could have gone about it in a better way. Aggravated by his utterly rude behavior, the tourists began shouting at him! Even the Christian Palestinian ceremonial guard, who had been ordered to guard the tomb, couldn’t control his aggravation. Another priest had to step in to prevent the guard and priest from striking each other. I’m sure Jesus was looking down with pride.
The actual procession was interesting, and after it the entire crowd erupted in cheers, shouting “Xpuctoc Bockpec” (Christ is Risen) in several different languages. One Russian nun got particularly excited, and she led the crowd in repeating a Russian Easter chant five or six times. But after about a two hours of non-stop standing – without the mass having even started yet – we decided to go outside to get some fresh air. Instead we came across a chapel in the Church run by the Syrian Coptics, who also were holding their Easter service. We stayed there the rest of the night (until 4am),
Me and Anton outside the Holy Sepulcher Church
and it was well worth it. This mass was much smaller and as a result much more intimate and meaningful. And let me tell you, those Syrian parishioners had to be some of the nicest people I have ever met! Everyone was full of smiles, and a nice old lady even offered me her extra foldaway chair to sit on during the two hour service!
All the women were wearing head scarves/veils in accordance with Orthodox/Coptic tradition (it’s a sexist tradition, but what can you do), although nobody seemed to care that I had come unequipped without one. But when it was time for communion, I asked a woman standing nearby if I could still receive the host without a veil. She shook her head no as she threw her own head scarf onto my head! It was a wonderful act of kindness at a beautiful Easter service. The friendliness of the Syrians was a much welcomed relief – I very much doubt that any of the Russian tourists would have offered me their headscarves should I have required one!
So in all, Easter in the Holy Land was a fascinating experience. I look forward to what the next six months will bring (a war with Iran perchance?)! Tomorrow is Holocaust Remembrance Day, and my Rotary “host dad” (well, that’s what he practically is anyway) will be speaking at the university about his own experience as a six-year-old boy in Auschwitz. I will provide a full account of the event this week. Also, in the next few weeks the Pope will be coming to visit the Holy Land. Let’s see if I will get the chance to meet him!
