No, your eyes do not deceive you. Yes, the title of this post is “Coptic Easter.” But, I can hear you asking, wasn’t Coptic Easter weeks ago, right before Sham al-Naseem? Indeed it was. My reason for touching on Coptic Easter this particular week is twofold: 1) to point out a similarity I recently noticed between Easter and Eid al-Adha and 2) to highlight my recent trip to Cairo’s oldest Coptic church – the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The domes of the Church of the Virgin Mary beckon you…
As I write, Eid al-Adha is in full swing. You know it is the first day of Eid when you wake at sunrise to the call to prayer and it just keeps going…for two hours. Personally, I love it. I love the enthusiasm and the devotion.
Step outside of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and you are met with a view of the Nile
Last week I shared with you one of the many festive dishes made during al-Eid – fattah. I recently learned that fattah is also often eaten on Coptic Easter. Considering Copts abstain from eating all animal products for 55 days prior to Easter, protein-rich fattah is the perfect choice for a break-the-fast feast.
Fattah – a festival food for all the feast days
While pondering this and a few other similarities between Easter and Eid al-Adha, I found myself aboard a felucca. My fellow felucca-mates asked me about a church we passed on the east bank of the Nile. I was embarrassed to admit I knew nothing about it, and determined to remedy the situation as soon as possible. The very next field trip day found us on our way to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The cool interior of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary beckons you…
Known as the oldest church in Cairo, the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary marks the traditional location where the Holy Family embarked on their trip to Upper Egypt. The view of the Nile from the church patio is another added bonus. The church compound features a magical little garden that entertained my kids while we waited 15 minutes for our friends. However, what we enjoyed the most about our visit – if we are being perfectly honest on this uncommonly hot June day – is that the inside of the church is easily 20 degrees cooler than the outside. Any way you look at it, an outing to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary has something for everyone.
Getting there and away is easy, considering the church’s proximity to the Corniche. We took an Uber there and a minibus back home. And you know what we did the moment we returned home from the church? Indulged in a little of our fattah leftovers from el-Eid.
