WATANI International
9 August 2009
Last Friday the Coptic Church began its annual fast of the Holy Virgin. The fast ends on 22 August, the feast of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin.
Throughout the 15-day fast, churches all along Egypt hold daily evening celebrations which they term nahdat al-Adra, literally [spiritual] revival of the Virgin’s fast. Hymns and praises for the Holy Virgin are sung, and sermons are delivered. Copts flock in large numbers to their churches to celebrate their beloved Adra (Virgin) and ask for her blessing.
Despite the fact that fasts are invariably associated with contrition and deprivation, the Virgin’s fast is a time of general rejoicing and jubilation. Families rush to visit far-flung monasteries and convents consecrated to the Holy Virgin—and very possibly erected on spots where the Holy Family stayed on its journey into Egypt during the first century. For many, it is not only a spiritual quest, but a wonderful holiday as well.
Celebrations commonly involve not-so-spiritual aspects. Stalls are erected within church grounds to sell items the visitors may need, ranging from the spiritual such as books, cassette tapes, CDs and DVDs, to the absolutely mundane such as embroidered napkins or home-made food.
All in all, the Virgin’s fast in Egypt is an experience to be savoured on all fronts.