Copts celebrate Christmas

FOR MANY people the weekend was a time for taking down the Christmas tree and putting away the decorations for another year.

However, for the Egyptian Coptic community in Ireland it was an occasion for a two-day celebration because Christmas Day, on the old pharaonic calendar, fell on both Saturday and Sunday.

The main celebration was held at St Mary and St Demiana Coptic Orthodox Church in Bray on Friday night: Christmas Eve was marked by a three-hour service. Services were also held in Galway, Tipperary and Westmeath. The celebrations were tinged with poignancy because of ongoing attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt.