Syrian Christians in Egypt pray for peace at Christmas ..



Syrian refugee in Egypt Samer Sabouh at first had decided not to celebrate Christmas and the New Year in mourning for the death of Syrian civilians.
Sabouh fled the Bab Touma area of Damascus and took refuge in Egypt with his younger brother Moussa. Both families live in one house so they can save money, he told Al-Shorfa.
"Our home is filled with sadness for what is happening in Syria and everyone is constantly preoccupied with following the successive news," Sabouh said. "But having six children -- three of whom are my brother's and three of whom are mine -- brings joy."
On the insistence of the children, the brothers decided to hang Christmas decorations and put up a Christmas tree, he said.
"I will head to the church with my entire family on Christmas Eve for midnight prayers and pray for the salvation of Syria and Syrians from the daily bloodbath," Sabouh said.
He said the church invited Christian Syrian families for a Christmas Eve dinner.
"It will be a family atmosphere without music, dancing and celebrations but rather a family dinner that will include giving presents from Santa Claus to children," he said.
Sabouh said he will make sure to attend the dinner because he feels a pressing for such an atmosphere that reminds him of Christmas Eve dinners in Syria.
Emile Rizk is also a Syrian refugee in Egypt.
Rizk came from Yabrud in Syria's Qalamoun region to escape the war and his family is scattered throughout Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. He lost some relatives to air strikes and bombardment.
"There is an atmosphere of mourning in our house and I could not put up a tree and decorations but I will join the midnight mass and pray for peace to return to Syria and for mercy for the souls of my family members and Syrians in general who died [in the war]," he told Al-Shorfa.
When Rizk was in Syria he would often dress up as Santa Claus and give presents to both the children and adults in his family.
The entire family would get together in one of their homes and gather around the dinner table on Christmas Eve. Everyone would join in decorating the Christmas tree, which would be cut from the nearby woods amidst an atmosphere of happiness, he told Al-Shorfa.
"This was an intimate family atmosphere that is about home and family and it is difficult to replicate this feeling away from home," Rizk said.

Importance of Christmas

The Rev. François al-Hani, of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Cairo, who is a Syrian national, said Christians across the Levant celebrate Christmas in much the same way.
"However, Syria stands out in that the Orthodox and Catholic sects are very similar in size, so celebrations start in December and continue until the end of January due to the different calendars of both sects," he said.
For five years, al-Hani has been moving around among the churches of Jordan, Egypt and Syria and most of the time spending the Christmas season in Syria to visit family and the first parish he worked in, which is located on the outskirts of Damascus.
But this year, he said he is sad he was not able to visit Syria during the Christmas season.
During his visits to the homes of Syrians in Egypt, al-Hani explains the meaning of Christmas and the importance of celebrating it and having hope for a bright new tomorrow with no war, he said.
"The basic concept of Christmas is joy, salvation and celebration with the arrival of the Saviour," he said.
Many families are not celebrating this year because they are in mourning for the Syrians who are dying every day in Syria or due to financial difficulties, he added.
The church tries to help by giving away dozens of decorated Christmas trees to families as well as giving parents presents they could distribute to their children on Christmas Eve, al-Hani said.
Church youth groups also are organising parties for children, religious meetings and training for midnight mass hymns, he said.
Some parishes organise group dinners on Christmas Eve for Syrians and non-Syrians alike "but the focus is on Syrians this year and our insistence that they join in the Christmas joy", he said.