Egyptian Christian Coptic Holiday (Easter) Decoration

This Egyptian Christian straw camel is part of the Egyptian Coptic Christian Easter celebration of Palm Sunday.

On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ is commemorated on Good Friday, the Friday preceding Easter.

The Christian faith is based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus or Christ. Jesus, (7–2 BC/BCE – 30–36 AD/CE), is the central figure of Christianity. Most Christian denominations venerate him as God the Son.

The principal sources of information regarding Jesus are the four canonical gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The gospels declare that Jesus was a Jew born in Bethlehem, in the Roman province of Judea. At the age of 30, he began to preach throughout Palestine, which was then under Roman rule. The gospels describe miracles that Jesus performed such as raising the dead.

Most critical historians agree that Jesus was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer. He was crucified in Jerusalem, on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire. Christians believe that Jesus then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, from which he will return.

Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population. According to ancient tradition, Christianity was introduced to the Egyptians by Saint Mark in Alexandria in the 1st century. The scriptures were translated into the local language, today known as the Coptic language. By the beginning of the 3rd century AD, Christians were the majority of Egypt’s population. A significant minority of Egyptians are Coptic today.

The Coptic Christian festival of Palm Sunday, which commemorates the biblical story of Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem is commonly celebrated amongst Copts all over Egypt as well as in the diaspora. For centuries, Coptic families gathered on the eve of Palm Sunday at homes to weave palm fronds into various shapes. On the week preceding Palm Sunday, sidewalks around most Coptic churches in major Egyptian cities and urban centers are usually occupied by palm frond vendors who set their tents and stalls to sell both raw branches and finalized crafts to the celebrating congregations.
Source:
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition) "Jesus Christ." Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2010. 297. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 1 July 2013. Document URL: http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/ps/i.do?id=GALE|CX1796500200&v=2.1&u=lapl&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus http://elmaqar.org/cg/?q=node/41 http://www.suscopts.org/q&a/index.php?qid=93&catid=95 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copts http://www.coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica/