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News in Bet-Nahren, Assyria
Turkey’s Assyrians celebrate Christmas
by MSNBC
Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2000 10:26 pm CST
Turkey’s Assyrian community celebrates Christmas in Mardin’s Kýrklar church in the early hours of Christmas
day Assyrians in the southeastern city of Mardin wore their traditional
costumes for Christmas day. At a special Christmas day mass at
Kýrklar Assyrian church to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ,
Assyrians reenacted the lighting of torches by shepherds who had
seen the radiance of Jesus Christ’s arrival. Boys and girls sang
hymns in Turkish, Arabic and Aramaic. Later special incense was
lit specially brought in from Damascus in Syria. Blessing those
who attended the mass, Kýrklar church priest Gabriel Akyüz said
December 25 is a very important day for his community. After the
mass many young girls lit candles and held wishes.
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