Easter ceremony held among rubble of church

HATAY

An Easter ceremony has been held among the debris of the Greek Orthodox Church in the southern province of Hatay, which suffered massive destruction in the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes.

Quake-hit Hatay’s historical district of Antakya that has hosted several religious and cultural structures for centuries was among the regions that experienced the most severe damage in the twin earthquakes.

The Greek Orthodox Church that opened its doors to hundreds of Christian residents in the district for years also collapsed in the earthquakes.

Despite the destruction, Christian residents wishing to mark their holiday in their churches held an Easter ceremony among the ruins of the church.

The congregation also commemorated the people who lost their lives in the earthquakes.

A feast was eaten at the dinner table set up in the garden of the ruined church.

Another ceremony was also held at Saint Thecla Church for Easter in the district of Samandağ, which hosts a Greek Orthodox community of approximately 2,000 people.

Samandağ was the epicenter of another large-scale tremor that jolted the region on Feb. 20 and another area of massive destruction.

After the ceremony, the Greek Orthodox Christians who celebrated the feast among the rubble, clinked colored eggs symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus.

On the other hand, İbrahim Küçükay and his family, whose house in the district collapsed in the quakes, ate their Easter dinner and hosted guests in their tent.

Christians from the Altınözü district had built a temporary place of worship to perform rituals as their church was destroyed in the quake disaster.

Altınözü residents performed rituals and held a ceremony in their temporary church to mark Easter, which they celebrated with fireworks and a number of entertainment events last year.

“In the ritual, some passages of the Bible were read, prayers were made, and candles were lit. There will be no entertainment this year,” said the priest of the church.

İbrahim Çilingir, one of the Christian residents from quake-hit Hatay, stated that they were in sorrow due to what they experienced in the devastating quakes.

Reminding that thousands of people lost their lives, Çilingir said, “We only do rituals at Easter. There is no feast or holiday mood.”