The Coptic Studies Programme (CSP) at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s (BA) has set upon a project to document Coptic celebrations.
The Coptic Studies Programme (CSP) at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s (BA) has set upon a project to document Coptic celebrations.
A large portion of these celebrations constitute what is known as ‘folk religion’, as opposed to the religious rituals practiced within the Church rites. Major among these are the mawalid, plural of mulid, a folk celebration of a saint’s day. A mulid usually runs for a few days during which visitors flock to the site to take part in the religious celebration, and engage in the festive fair-like atmosphere of socialising, feasting, singing, buying and selling, tattooing crosses, and suchlike. The mulid is a thoroughly Egyptian tradition that goes back to the days of ancient Egypt, and is not a monopoly of the Copts; Muslims too celebrate their holy men by holding mawalid. Director of the BA Ismail Serageddin announced that is the CSP is documenting Mulid al-Adra (the mulid of the Holy Virgin) which takes place every year in June at Gabal al-Teir in Minya, Upper Egypt. Gabal al-Teir is one of the main spots where the Holy Family—St Joseph, St Mary, and Baby Jesus—stopped during its flight from Herod the King in the first century.Khaled Azab, director of the Special Projects Department at the BA, explained that the documentation includes photographs and video recordings of all the religious rites and the folkloric customs and practices related to it. Dr Azab pointed out that all the material will be posted on a website that is currently under preparation.
WATANI International
5 June 2012