Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Christians marked Christmas on January 7, gathering in large numbers at churches across the country on Tuesday night for Christmas Eve Mass. In Cairo, worshippers filled churches such as Archangel Michael Church, offering prayers for peace amid regional conflicts and for relief from economic pressures at home. “We hope the conflicts around us in the Arab region and globally will pass and be resolved peacefully,” said Cairo resident Emad Sarkis after the service.
Christmas celebrations for Copts, one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, traditionally center on family gatherings. Festivities typically follow the Christmas Eve Mass with a celebratory meal that ends a fasting period lasting more than 40 days. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a Muslim, attended a Christmas Eve service at the Nativity of Christ Cathedral in the New Administrative Capital, east of Cairo. He was received by Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, continuing a tradition of presidential attendance aimed at promoting national unity.
The Egyptian government declared January 7 a paid public holiday to mark Christmas. Coptic Christians make up the vast majority of Egypt’s Christian population, which is estimated at about 10% of the country’s 108 million people.
