Christians flock to Palm Sunday celebrations at Cairo monastery

Every year, Christians around the world celebrate Palm Sunday. It's a day which marks Jesus Christ's entrance into Jerusalem. A day in history when his followers laid palm branches across his path, a week before his crucifixion and resurrection.

This year, as always, the Orthodox Christian community in Egypt was keen to celebrate the day. Prayer ceremonies were held in the local churches as well as in the main cathedral in Abbasia where the Coptic Pope usually leads the service. There were also intricate services held at the historically significant monastery of Samaan el-Kharaz, in the Mokatm district of Cairo.

Samaan el-Kharaz is one of the saints of the Coptic Orthodox church. He reportedly lived in Egypt in the 10th century during the rule of the Fatimid Caliphate el-Moez Ledin Allah.

According to Christian religious texts, the Christians of the time suffered under the Jewish minister of the caliphate, Yaqub Ibn Killis.

They debated the minister in front of the Caliph and all agreed that the Christians should come up with a miracle to prove that their faith was correct, and to remove the injustice being meted out against them.

The miracle was to remove el-Mokatm mountain from its place, and so for three days all of the Christians in Egypt prayed to God. After that the patriarch dreamed that a man standing in front of the mountain would move it.

The next morning when he went there, he found Samaan el-Kharaz there, the miracle happened and Samaan moved the mountain.

The monastery is carved inside the rocks of the mountain with thousands of Egyptians from different places attending the service on Sunday.

The service started with the recital of the prayers, and then streams of people crowded into busy queues to get blessings from the fathers.

“I came to Cairo yesterday, and stayed at my uncle's home. I had a choice either to go to the cathedral or to come here,” said Reda Kamal, a 19-year-old Christian who came from Assiut, in upper Egypt. “I chose here because many ministers and important people go to the cathedral so the security restrictions there are unbearable there - here is much better.”

“I like it when we all gather from different places. It makes me feel strong and it makes us all feel that we aren’t a minority, that we aren’t weak. All of those people push up their schedules to be here as most of our feasts and celebrations aren’t official holidays, just to get that feeling, that we are one."

Marie, one of the many Ethiopians who attended the service, said she felt the monastery was “really spiritual”.

“This place is different than any other monastery or church I’ve ever entered. It isn’t my first time here, and I know I will keep coming in the future,” she said.

Her mother Anneta, who also attended the service, was visiting from Ethiopia and said that “for many years the Ethiopian church used to follow the Egyptian church.

“Most of the Ethiopians still think that this is case and I am very glad I was fortunate enough to come here.”