A sense of awe and mysticism surrounds the sacerdotal functions in a Coptic Orthodox Church, and none more so than during Holy Week leading to Easter. Jill Kamil observes the preparations Preparations for Easter commence with a 55-day fast when cereals and foods of plant origin cooked in olive oil form the main diet. No animal products -- no meat, eggs, milk or fish -- are consumed, nor even coffee. Spring is in the air, and on street corners in predominantly Christian areas of Cairo, palm-fronds woven into crosses of all sizes are sold on street corners. Some are rosettes in an exquisite design which people hang on the front doors of their houses. Others adorn the sitting room, and smaller ones are hung in bedrooms. Palm fronds and any early spring growth is a feature of Easter -- rebirth in every sense of the word. Palm Sunday falls a week before the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem shortly before his Passion, as mentioned in all four canonical gospels, and the ritual is reminiscent of ancient times when the Pharaoh, having returned in triumph after victory over his enemies, was met with green branches, the blossoms of Spring, glorifying him as saviour and victor. Likewise, when Jesus Christ returned to the Holy Land he was met by multitudes waving palm branches, a symbol of victory over those who would do him harm, and to us today symbolising resurrection. During Holy Week ( Isbu Al-Alam or "Week of Pain" in Arabic) the Passion of Jesus Christ is celebrated with specific events in the last week in his life, culminating in Palm Sunday ( Hadd Al-Zaaf ) when, as in the early church, the priest blesses fronds of the date palm and a procession is formed. The clergy, bearing the cross, incense tapers and palm fronds, move round the church, praying at each altar, the principal icons, and the reliquaries. On this day, Copts also remember their own dear departed, visit family graves, and place palm fronds and bunches of flowers around their tombs. On Good Friday, which the Copts call Al-Gomaa Al-Hazina or "Sad Friday", church altars are draped in black. This is followed by Sabt Al-Nur, "Saturday of Light", so named after the miraculous light that appeared in the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The bishop, in full ecclesiastical attire with stole and crown, and assisted by the clergy who forms a semicircle around him, stands before the elaborately adorned sanctuary screen of the church. Young deacons in long white robes assist in the service. Special prayers are said for the troubled and ailing, and, incidentally for "the River Nile" and for the "fruits of the earth". The opening of the door of the sanctuary to reveal the holy inner chambers with the altar is an act that symbolises the rolling away of the stone from the tomb where Jesus was laid, and from which he arose. The bishop and the clergy then raise their crosses and banners high in jubilation and proceed round the church, intoning a joyous hymn. Holy Communion follows, with members of the congregation first shaking hands, symbolising fellowship, and then lining up (men and women separately) to receive the Eucharist. Seven round loaves of freshly-baked bread made of the finest wheat flour are baked in a special oven by a member of the church. These are offered to the bishop, who carefully inspects each one to select the perfect one to represent the faultlessness of Jesus. The bread must not, according to long-established tradition, be cut with a knife, but should always be broken by hand in a special manner. The pieces are dipped in the holy wine -- unfermented wine made by soaking dried grapes in water which is distributed to churches in large wicker-covered jars. Having received the Eucharist (standing, not kneeling), the clergy move along the aisle to give a final blessing, and as the congregation rises to leave the church, they utter such phrases as "Christ has risen", and "Indeed, He has risen". It is a joyous occasion. Easter celebrations provide a spiritual and dramatic narrative of the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, from the sorrows of his Passion through to the spirited tempo of Easter, his resurrection. One cannot help but be moved by Coptic hymns and chants for the celebration of Lent, Holy Week, the Passion of Christ and "Light" Saturday, through to the magnificent Resurrection chants. And so, in conclusion, I would add that the late Ragheb Moftah, one of the founders of the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies in the 1950s, established a music division and formed the first Coptic Orthodox Choir. Moftah sought out the most accomplished cantors and deacons, and spent his lifetime preserving the musical heritage of the church. He established two centres to teach Coptic chant melodies, one in Bab Al-Hadid and the other in Old Cairo, and subjected his talented students to a rigorous training programme, recording their voices, and eventually completing the entire corpus of Coptic Orthodox liturgical chants. As members of the congregation exit the church, many purchase sacred loaves which, like the Eucharist bread, are stamped with a cross at the centre, representing Jesus, and with 12 small crosses representing his disciples. These are later broken into pieces and placed under children's pillows as a personal blessing. Easter is a time for alms-giving, part of an age-old tradition in the Nile Valley, when those of means help people less fortunate than themselves. It is also a time for good fellowship and, of course, merry-making by children. They walk along the streets, usually in groups to show off their new clothes bought especially for the occasion. Those with bicycles weave crinkly coloured paper into the spokes of their bicycles. Groups frequently hire a donkey-cart to travel along the main thoroughfares of the city, and the sounds of singing and drum-beating fill the air. Easter is a long holiday weekend, and an extremely popular one, because the following day, Monday, is Sham Al-Nessim (literally "smell the breeze"), the official first day of Spring and a national celebration for the whole population, Muslim and Christian, which has its origin in an ancient Egyptian festival associated with the rebirth of the land.
