A Christmas Mass was held on Thursday, December 23 at the Saint John (Mar Yuhanna) Greek Orthodox Church in Arsuz, Hatay, which is only open for liturgies during April-September. A limited number of congregation members attended the Holy Mass, which was held on the occasion of the Christmas Feast. At the end of the month, the children of Arsuz enjoyed the holiday to the fullest with the gifts given by Santa Claus.
The Christmas Feast was celebrated with a special ceremony the day before the feast in Arsuz, in one of Hatay’s distinguished summer resorts. The ritual here was conducted by the Fathers of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church of Iskenderun, Dimitri Yıldırım and Yusuf Nicholas Papasoğlu. Due to the pandemic, a small number of Arsuz Christian citizens attended the service.
Arsuz District Governor Hacı Hasan Gökpınar and Arsuz Mayor Asaf Güven, as well as Arsuz District Mufti Mehmet Sain, Arsuz Aziz Yuhanna Greek Orthodox Church Foundation President Corç Deniz and Iskenderun Orthodox Church Foundation President Can Teymur attended the Christmas Feast Mass in Arsuz.
At the end of the Holy Mass, where candles are lit, prayers are said, hymns are sung, and Blessed Bread is distributed, Santa Claus also had a surprise for the children of Arsuz. They enjoyed the holiday to the fullest with the gifts given by Santa Claus. At the end of the mass, photos were taken to commemorate this beautiful day. (SAT-7 Turk/İlyas Edip TERBİYELİ-İskenderun)
