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I like to read about how Christmas is celebrated around the world. And I sometimes like talking about various traditions etc, on other places online. The East Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox are well represented on this subject. But not much can be found on the Assyrians except for some of the basics like the date or calendar day.


So Paul are there any interesting things the Assyrians do that are unique to them?
Shlama Oozeaddai,

Assyrians belong to many different denominations. The vast majority of them are Arabic-speaking Muslims (otherwise known as "Iraqis".) The Christian Assyrians are a tiny minority and split up among various denominations (Syriac Orthodox, Chaldean Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican, Church of the East, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, etc.)

It's important to keep in mind that "Assyrian" is an ethnicity (like "Chinese"), it's not a religion. Assyrians follow many different religions, or none at all. The original Assyrians worshipped Ashur, a pagan deity, and some still do today.

As for the Church of the East (not only "Assyrian", but many different nationalities belong to this church), "Christmas" is not technically an important part of the Liturgical cycle. It has only recently begun to be acknowledged as we moved westward. It is called "Eida Zoroa" in Aramaic - "little feast".....to distinguish it from "Eida Rabba" - the "Great Feast" (or, "Easter" in English.)

What is celebrated in the Church of the East is on January 6th, it is called "Beth Denkha" which literally means "Manifestation." The Greek cognate is "Epiphany." This "little feast" is, of course, the commemoration of the Mawlada ("Baptism") of Meshikha. So we don't technically celebrate the "birth" of Meshikha, only His "baptism."

We (CoE) do not have trees, lights, etc. during this time. These were never part of our tradition, although living here in the states I do celebrate these things with my Roman Catholic American wife. Some CoE parishes here in the states do celebrate "Christmas", but mostly as an accomodation to the people who now live among Western Christians. But the CoE parishes in the middle east do not keep this day with any significance. They actually have services in Jan. 6th, not Dec. 25th.

As I said, this is a recent phenomenon in our experience.

Take care.
What is celebrated in the Church of the East is on January 6th, it is They actually have services in Jan. 6th, not Dec. 25th.

As I said, this is a recent phenomenon in our experience.

Take care.[/quote]

That is actually true for much on the Christian world, as far as the time its celebrated and the fact its a lesser Holiday, compared to Pascha.


Actually as I learned a few years ago, it's oriigons are actually Coptic. "mas" means birth in Coptic. I know however it was adopted by the rest of Christian world. But I guess the fact it was only recently adopted by the COE explains why I couldn't find any info on it other than the most sketchy sparse references.
oozeaddai Wrote:But I guess the fact it was only recently adopted by the COE explains why I couldn't find any info on it other than the most sketchy sparse references.

Not many evergreen trees, yule logs or mistletoes in the middle east. <!-- sSmile --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /><!-- sSmile -->

Think about it, again, from the Western vs. Eastern experience. In the West, the Church won and became the power. Its remaining pagans were brought over to the Church, in some cases, by a brilliant marketing strategy. Some of their customs and sacred days were incorporated into Christian liturgical cycles. This is how the Western Church triumphed over Saturnalia.

On the other hand, the Eastern Church (Persian empire) never gained the upper hand in the empire they lived in. They were ruled by pagans....many say they still are. There was no one to "win over" by changing the name or purpose of an ancient pagan observance. The Christians were always in the minority (and still are.)

Having said that, I do enjoy the holiday season as expressed by our Western Christian brethren....after all, when in Rome.....

I have a "Christmas Tree" up right now. Oh well. Syncretism. <!-- sSmile --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /><!-- sSmile -->