Feast of Saint George
Encyclopedia
The Feast of Saint George (also spelled al-Khader) is a Palestinian
holiday commemorating Saint George
(known as al-Khader, Mar Jeries and Jirjis in Palestinian culture). The feast occurs annually on 5 May, and although it is originally a local Christian
holiday, both Palestinian Christians
and Muslim
s participate. The feast is held in the Palestinian town of al-Khader
, just south of Bethlehem
.
rule of Palestine. According to the folktale,
s from throughout Palestine
to visit the Monastery of Saint George
and trade loaves of bread, make sacrifices they vow to fulfill and gather for picnics under the olive
trees surrounding the monastery.
The same tradition continues today, with many Christian pilgrims coming to baptize their children, due to the abundance stories about the healing properties of the St. George. Although the priest accepts meat as a gift, the Christian tradition of the monastery itself doesn't sacrifice the animals On the morning of 6 May, Palestinian Christians
from Beit Jala
, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour
and other parts of Palestine
would march in a procession to the monastery.
, two sacrifices are offered: The first is the dhabihah, which requires that one-third of the immolated lamb be set aside for consumption by its owner, while the remaining two-thirds are for Allah
and given as charity. The second offering is that of a live animal, bequeathed as a gift to St. George.
Muslim signs dot the courtyard of the monastery and traces of the sacrifices are evident in the form of the lamb hides left on the balustrades to dry.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
holiday commemorating Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
(known as al-Khader, Mar Jeries and Jirjis in Palestinian culture). The feast occurs annually on 5 May, and although it is originally a local Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
holiday, both Palestinian Christians
Palestinian Christians
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s participate. The feast is held in the Palestinian town of al-Khader
Al-Khader, Bethlehem
Al-Khader is a Palestinian town in the Bethlehem Governorate in the south-central West Bank. It is located west of Bethlehem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 9,774 in 2007.-History:...
, just south of Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
.
Origins
Palestinian folklore suggests that the feast originated during the ByzantineByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
rule of Palestine. According to the folktale,
"the feast came and the young men stood together making their vows. One said, 'I will give a goat,' another 'I will give a sheep.' Then Jirjis (Jeries), the son of a widow, desired to offer something. They had but one cow. Then he said, 'I will sacrifice a cow,' and he went and killed the cow."
At evening time his mother called to him and said, 'Where is the cow?' He said, 'I gave it to El Khader. (St. George)' His mother said, 'You have cut our lives. Let me not see your face again.' That night, the young man had a vision. A white haired man appeared to him and said, 'Fear not, I am El Khader: thou shalt go to ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and to the king’s palace. Only each day thou shalt call a blessing upon me.' ...
Christian
Previously, the feast attracted ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s from throughout Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
to visit the Monastery of Saint George
Monastery of Saint George, al-Khader
The Monastery of Saint George is an Orthodox Christian monastery in the Palestinian town of al-Khader in the central West Bank. The modern church was built in 1912 but the remains of the chapel date back to the 16th century. The edifice has an Orthodox Christian interior, and the dome contains a...
and trade loaves of bread, make sacrifices they vow to fulfill and gather for picnics under the olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
trees surrounding the monastery.
The same tradition continues today, with many Christian pilgrims coming to baptize their children, due to the abundance stories about the healing properties of the St. George. Although the priest accepts meat as a gift, the Christian tradition of the monastery itself doesn't sacrifice the animals On the morning of 6 May, Palestinian Christians
Palestinian Christians
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
from Beit Jala
Beit Jala
Beit Jala is an Arab Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude...
, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour
Beit Sahour
Beit Sahour is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority...
and other parts of Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
would march in a procession to the monastery.
Muslim
Traditionally, Muslims guard the entrance of the church and welcome pilgrims. As the Christians, the Muslims too sacrifice sheep during the feast and offerings are stored in a sheep pen in the garden of the monastery. In IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, two sacrifices are offered: The first is the dhabihah, which requires that one-third of the immolated lamb be set aside for consumption by its owner, while the remaining two-thirds are for Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
and given as charity. The second offering is that of a live animal, bequeathed as a gift to St. George.
Muslim signs dot the courtyard of the monastery and traces of the sacrifices are evident in the form of the lamb hides left on the balustrades to dry.