Image: View of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
The Middle East is home to some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, in many cases tracing their origins to the earliest congregations of believers that sprang up after the new religion was founded in the region.
According to World Christian Database estimates, there were almost 19 million Christians in the Middle East in 2020, or 4.2% of the total population. This percentage has declined since the 1970s, when they made up 6.1%, mainly due to emigration and lower birth rates. Nevertheless, the presence of the Christian population in the Middle East has been persistent over the past two millennia, in variants ranging from the Coptic Orthodox in Egypt or the Maronites in Lebanon, to the Armenian Apostolic Church in Iran or the Chaldeans in Iraq, although the ecclesiastical traditions extend beyond the borders of today's nation-states. Christians in Syria, for example, belong to the Eastern Orthodox Churches such as the Greek Orthodox and Syriac, and there are also Catholic and Chaldean communities.
The very long history of Christians in the Middle East, the influence of local traditions and the coexistence with other communities have produced a rich cultural heritage that is undoubtedly reflected in the different customs and rites of each congregation. This diversity means that there is no single way of celebrating Christmas.
Perhaps the best known of all the international celebrations is the one that takes place in Bethlehem, the Palestinian town in the West Bank where the birth of Christ is located and which attracts thousands of Christians from all over the world. A procession led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem departs from the city to join in the celebrations. In addition to the religious ceremony in the Basilica of the Nativity, a large musical parade winds through the main streets on Christmas Eve and a huge Christmas tree decorates Manger Square. The Christmas meal for Palestinian Christians traditionally includes qidreha dish of rice and lamb with chickpeas and whole cloves of garlic. As an accompaniment, it is usually eaten with sahlaba hot, sweet drink made from rose water and walnuts, served with crunchy fried cheese pieces inside a semolina pancake, called a qatayef.
Although 2022 brought a flood of pilgrims to Bethlehem after two years of low attendance following the COVID 19 pandemic, this year Christian leaders and municipal authorities have announced the cancellation of public Christmas celebrations in solidarity with the thousands of dead caused by the Israeli military offensive. Only religious rites will be maintained. Similar initiatives have also been undertaken by Jordan, Jerusalem and other localities in the region.
In Syria, whose Christian population is estimated at around half a million people (down sharply from 2 million before the war), families gather on Christmas Eve around a candle and recite psalms. Once the flames are extinguished, each family member jumps on the ashes and makes a wish. This tradition is also followed by Christians in Iraq. On Christmas morning, there is mass and a festive procession. As for the presents, it is not Father Christmas who delivers them. According to local tradition, when the three camels arrived in Bethlehem with their Majesties the Three Wise Men on their backs, Jesus Christ noticed that the youngest of them was exhausted. In gratitude for his efforts, he rewarded him by making him immortal. Since then, the children of these communities have been impatiently awaiting the arrival of the camel with their gifts, leaving bowls of hay as refreshments.
By far the largest Christian community is in Egypt, where it is estimated to constitute about 10% of the population (about ten million people), of which 90% belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. Coptic Orthodox celebrate the birth of Christ on 7 January - equivalent to 25 December in the Julian calendar they continue to adhere to, which is older than the Gregorian calendar followed by Western Christian churches. It is customary to fast for 43 days prior to this date during which a strictly vegan diet is observed. The fast is broken on the evening of the 7th itself after the Christmas mass, with a special succulent meal whose star dish is the Fattahmade from pita bread, rice, broth and lamb. Also typical are small sweet biscuits called Kahkwhich people often bring as gifts.
There are many other local variations, often linked more to local traditions than to theological differences. In Lebanon, for example, where Christians make up about a third of the population, it is typical to use green sprouts as Christmas decorations. To obtain the sprouts, two weeks before the celebrations, legumes are placed in a tray on cotton wool soaked in water and, when they germinate, they are used to decorate altars, houses or in nativity scenes.
The wealth of rituals and customs prevalent in Middle Eastern Christmas celebrations demonstrates that it is possible to preserve tradition and diversity in a globalised world that tends to homogenise even the festive season.