A Christmas mass was held at the historical Virgin Mary Church in the central Sur district of Diyarbakır.
At the service led by Priest Bıhnam Samarjy from Mardin Dayrulzafaran Monastery, Syriac and Turkish hymns were sung and “blessed bread” was offered to those who attended the service.
At the end of the ceremony, where Assyrians lit candles and made wishes, participants were offered tea cakes and candy.
Deputy Pastor of Virgin Mary Church, Saliba Açiş, told the AA correspondent that they were happy to perform the Christmas service.
Stating that there were 20 people from the Assyrian community in Diyarbakır and therefore they were a little sad, Açiş said, “Our spouses and friends in the city did not leave us alone and we thank them for being with us on such a holy day. We hope this holiday brings peace, tranquility and brotherhood to the whole world. All around us is full of wars. Wherever there is a war, all our prayers are for these wars to be stopped. Our hope and all our prayers are about this.”
Deniz Erin, one of those who attended the service, stated that they wished for a world where there is love, respect, peace and tranquility.
Referring to the attacks in the Holy Land, Erin said, “We are at a point where all people are silent, unfortunately we are sorry. Watching children dying is a great pain for us. There are images I can’t stand. I am against the silence of the world. I wish for a beautiful world where children do not die.”
(Source: Anadolu Agency, Main Image: Hyetert.com)
