Celebrations in Qamishli churches on the Day of Baptism of Christ

The celebration of Baptism Day in Qamishli churches – North-Press

Qamishli – North-Press Agency
Reem Chamoun – Charbel Hanou

 

The Christian churches in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, that adopt the Western calendar, celebrated the Day of Baptism (the feast of the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist). The deacon Aho Toma spoke to North-Press about the feast, whose ceremonies were held yesterday, he said: "Danh is a Syriac word that means divine appearance or sunrise, for it is the feast of Jesus' appearance to the world as the true Christ, the Son of God, and the appearance of the three Persons (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit), at the same time."

Toma added that on January the 6th of every year, they celebrate Baptism Day, the feast that carries great religious meanings for the Christians, and added that "the three Persons appeared on this day."

The deacon also mentioned that on this feast, 3 people are chosen from church servants or those present to carry a bottle containing holy water, the Bible and the Cross. He explained this ritual by saying: "This bottle symbolizes the waters of the Holy Baptism, while the Gospel and the Cross when we tour them among the people in the Church symbolize the spread of the good news in four parts of the world."
The baptism is one of the seven sacraments of the Church (a group of rituals according to the Christian belief).

The Christian Armenians in Qamishli on Monday morning celebrated the Divine Liturgy for Christmas according to the Eastern calendar, where Bishop Levon Yagyayan held the prayer at St. Jacob Church for the Armenian Orthodox in the city of Qamishli in the presence of dozens of Christian Armenians.
Most of the Christians migrated from north-eastern Syria during the Syrian crisis, as a result of the fighting operations in the country, as well as the massacres they were subjected to, and the restriction of their religious freedoms, during the control of the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS) on some of the areas in which they were present.