Orthodox Christians in Turkey started their Easter week on Sunday by observing the Feast of the Branches, also known as Palm Sunday or Sha’nini, in the aftermath of the twin earthquakes that hit Turkey’s south and southeast.
The Feast of the Branches is observed among Orthodox Christian communities in Turkey’s different cities including earthquake-stricken cities like Hatay in the south and Diyarbakır (Amed) in the southeast.
The Feast involves the blessing and decoration of olive branches which are sometimes woven into crosses representing the palm branches that the crowd scattered before Christ as he rode into Jerusalem.
Some changes have been made to the traditional practices in Hatay this year due to the recent earthquakes, such as the reading of the Azari hymn to earthquake victims in their tents instead of house visits.
The 6 February tremor impacted Orthodox places of worship in Hatay, damaging the historic Church of Saint Nicholas in the İskenderun district, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in the Antakya district, and the Greek Orthodox Church in the Arsuz district.
Despite the challenges, Orthodox Christians living in the region remain resilient, holding on to life and their faith after the devastating earthquakes.
In the Sûr district of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, Easter has been celebrated for the first time in eight years at the St Giragos Armenian Church, which was damaged in fighting in 2015-17. The Armenian community organised a service on Sunday in the historic church.
Many Kurdish-majority cities were subject to military operations by Turkish security forces and 24-hour curfews in 2015-2017, and heavy clashes ensued, after the peace process to resolve the Kurdish conflict in the country collapsed.
