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The Felucca's Voyage: Coptic Christians Commemorate the Flight into Egypt
| Article
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10206 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
8 / 1993 |
3,093 Words |
| Author
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Jeanne Conte
Jeanne Conte is a freelance writer based in Ohio. |
As the village of Maadi, just south of Cairo, celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of Mary each August 22, a felucca--a tiny boat of fittingly ancient design--sets sail upstream on the Nile River. The felucca's triangular sail billows in the sand-filled sirocco winds. The little boat's journey commemorates an ancient Egyptian belief that nineteen hundred years ago, the Holy Family, in flight from the destructive forces of Herod, also sailed against the current from this site.
Today this eid, or festival, has come to be seen as representative of Coptic Christianity itself. Because of extensive persecutions--church burnings, personal property destruction, and widespread assaults--public assembly has become a high-risk venture for Copts. This ancient religion sails against Egypt's rising tide of fundamentalist violence, pursued by forces apparently intent on its destruction. But as one festival pilgrim explains, "We will still go to the eids. We will still assemble, but of course there will be danger. The persecutions have only made us stronger."
A joyous respite
The Feast of the Assumption attracts thousands of devout Coptic Christians to the Church of the Sacred Virgin on the banks of the Nile. People begin assembling days before these celebrations begin. They camp out, pitching tents and carrying baskets of food. Families happily anticipate the festival, especially during these days of persecution. They visit different churches to gaze at icons and reflect on the exemplary lives of their saints. They greet the father of the church, bending to kiss his hand.
Many think the church stands on the site of an ancient Egyptian temple beside which the infant Moses was found. According to Coptic belief, as the Holy Family approached the temple, an earthquake toppled and destroyed the statues within. Copts believe this was in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophesy: "Behold, the Lord . . . will come into Egypt, the idols of Egypt will totter at his presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst." But as the Holy Family arrived, calm returned, and they slept within the temple walls before continuing on to Upper Egypt the next morning.
In remembrance, the father of the church and a few deacons annually depart from this sacred site for their short sail. Afterward, a liturgical service is conducted from the boat as hundreds of pilgrims participate from their own feluccas and the shoreline.
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