'Maria's Heap' hosts traditional biannual celebration
'Blessed be Egypt my People,' is the theme title of a celebration at Kom Maria, literally 'Maria's Heap', held by the Doicese of Mallawi on 2 February at Deir Abu-Hinnis in Mallawi, Minya, some 320km south of Cairo.
The celebration is traditionally held twice every year, once in early February to commemorate the biblical killing of all children in Bethlehem under the age of two. The gospel of Matthew cites the story in its second chapter, relating how Herod the King ordered their killing in hopes of ridding himself of the Christ Child who was prophesied to be king of Israel.
The second time in the year the celebration is held is in July to commemorate the entry of the Holy Family into Egypt when they fled the face of Herod who had planned to kill the Child Jesus.
Even though the Coptic Church celebrates the first event on 11 January, and the second on 1 June every year, Anba Demetrious, Bishop of Mallawi, Ansena, and Ashmounin, decided to postpone the Kom Maria ceremonies until later dates when school children are on holiday, for them and their parents to join.
Participating in this February celebration was Anba Demetrius, Metropolitan of Mallawi; Anba Qozman, Bishop of North Sinai; Anba Michael, Bishop of Helwan; and Anba Axios, Bishop of Mansoura; as well as senior government officials, politicians, Muslim clergy, public figures, and media representatives, amidst thousands of the public, both Muslim and Christian.
The celebration started with traditional Nile feluccas sailing from the towns and villages of the eastern bank of the Nile to its western, mostly desert bank, their sails adorned with images of the Holy Family in Egypt. They carried Metropolitan Demetrius and his guests, as well as many from the public, and characters depicting the Holy Family in Egypt.
As the guests disembarked on the western bank, they formed a procession of chanting deacons, choirs, and church scout teams that led the bishops priests, and guests on a walk of some 1.5km, passing through the village of Deir Abu-Hinnis, to reach Kim Maria. On both sides of the road, the villagers lined up to greet the procession.
At Kom Maria, a marquee was set up to seat guests. The event started with Thanksgiving Prayer, and featured theatrical scenes depicting the Holy Virgin and Her Child with St Joseph; artistic and musical activities in the Coptic language, a march in which deacons and children participated while raising the Egyptian flag; and a scouting show. Some 3d-models of President Sisi, Pope Tawadros, and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, had been hung to reflect Egyptian national unity.
During the celebration, a video describing a tourism project planned for the region of Kom Maria was screened. The project is planned by Mallawi Diocese to bring the spot to light, within a wider national project to introduce to the world the spots trodden by the Holy Family on its flight into Egypt as sites of religious and cultural tourism.
Anba Demetrius expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all attendees, and sent his greetings to President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, praying to God to preserve Egypt to always remain a land of security and safety.
+Holy Family here+
Some two millennia ago Kom Maria hosted the Holy Family—Mary, Joseph and the Child Jesus—for one day during their journey through the land of Egypt as they escaped Herod the King. Herod, fearing that the child would grow and take his throne to become the prophetic King of the Jews, had wished to kill Him. The gospel of St Matthew says that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to: 'Arise, take the young child and His mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there till I bring thee word.' And so it was that the Holy Family entered Egypt and sojourned in various locations throughout its land for more than three years, according to tradition.
Mallawi in the Minya Governorate includes four areas that were visited by the Holy Family: Ashmounin, Bir al-Sahaba, Dairut Umm Nakhla, and Kom Maria. Comments
comments Tags: Kom MariaMetropolitan Demetrius Mallawi EgyptNader Shukry
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Watani
19 hours ago
- Watani
Coptic Church hosts global celebration of 17 centuries on Nicaea Council
The Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod issued a statement on hosting a global celebration of 17 centuries on Nicaea Council. The statement said that the Coptic Orthodox Church will be hosting the International Conference on the World Celebration of 17 centuries on the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325AD. The Synod welcomed the event within the framework of the Coptic Church's role and responsibilities in the world ecumenical movement, in honour and veneration of the Church fathers among whom are Pope Alexandros, the 19th Patriarch of Alexandria, who participated in the Nicaea Council; and Pope Athanasius the Apostolic, the 20th Patriarch from 328 to 373, together with other heroes who safeguarded the orthodox faith. The conference will be held in October 2025 under the auspices of the World Council of Church's (WCC) Faith and Order Committee. It is the first time, the statement said, that such a conference is hosted by an Oriental Orthodox Church, and is the sixth to be held during the last 100 years. The first was held in 1927 in Lausanne, Switzerland; the second in 1937 Edinburgh, Scotland; the third in 1952 in Lund, Sweden; the fourth in 1963 in Montreal, Canada; and the fifth in 1993 in Santiago, Spain. 'In this regard,' the statement read, 'the [Coptic Orthodox] Holy Synod would like to stress that the conference is not a theological dialogue on Christian doctrines, but an opportunity to present research theses on the Council of Nicaea as a model in the face of heresies facing the Christian faith, given that the Council of Nicaea was a 'historical moment', when the Christian Church in the world was one. 'This means that the conference represents an academic opportunity in which research papers express the views of their writers, be those priests, professors or scholars. Therefore, the conference will not issue any resolutions, decisions, agreements, signatures, or even recommendations, but it may issue media statements only. 'It is known that our Coptic Orthodox Church has been a member of the World Council of Churches since 1954, and is also a member of regional and local church councils. More than 300 Churches and communities from more than 100 countries are members in the World Council of Churches. Eastern churches account for only 15 per cent of the members, while the proportion of Western churches amounts to 85 per cent. 'Our Church's hosting of this world event comes within the framework of its effective and strong role in spiritual work and strengthening of all Christian Churches inside and outside Egypt, because we are not isolated from the world. Rather, we have Coptic churches and monasteries in more than 60 countries in the world, and we entertain loving relations and communication with the other Churches present in these countries. We participate in theological dialogue to explain and present the orthodox faith on the basis of the glorious history of our Church and upright faith, and we always pray for unity of faith and an end to Church division. 'Over the last few years, we succeeded in hosting important Church events such as the 12th General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches in 2022, the meeting of representatives of the Orthodox Churches in the world in 2024, the meeting of the Patriarchy of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East in 2025, and other international conventions.' The statement concluded with prayer for the great upcoming canonical event, to be crowned with success and fruitfulness. Comments comments
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Egypt Independent
Integrated ancient city uncovered in Karnak, dating back to 2000 BC
A joint Egyptian-French mission has uncovered the oldest city and settlement dating back to the Middle Kingdom in the archaeological area of the Karnak Temple. This discovery was made during excavation work in the temple area. The excavations revealed a complete city in the far southeastern corner of the temple, dating back to the period 2050-1710 BC. This is the second discovery this year in the same area. Archaeological sources at the Karnak Temple confirmed that the discovered city lies between the ancient mud-brick wall built by King Thutmose III of the 18th Dynasty (New Kingdom), and the massive wall surrounding the Karnak temple complex, which dates back to the reign of King Nectanebo I of the 30th Dynasty. Restoration work On the sidelines of his visit to Luxor, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohamed Ismail Khaled inspected the restoration and rehabilitation project of the 'southern chapels' of the Temple of Akhmenu in the Karnak Temple complex. Khaled said that the restoration work on the Akhmenu complex included cleaning, structural and meticulous restoration, as well as complete documentation of the inscriptions and religious scenes. During his stay in Luxor Governorate, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities also inspected the work being carried out by several Egyptian missions affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities at several archaeological sites. These included the Egyptian mission's excavation site in al-Asasif area in Qurna, and the excavation site of the Egyptian archaeological mission in Nagaa Abu-Asaba area in Karnak. He explained that the mission was able to uncover a group of small wooden children's coffins in the al-Asasif area, most of which were in a very poor state of preservation. All coffins were devoid of inscriptions or writing.
Watani
2 days ago
- Watani
Pope Tawadros II receives HOPE servants
Pope Tawadros II received on 7 June 2025 the servants of the HOPE Organization at the Papal Residence in Cairo, who are on service week in Egypt. The Pope spoke to them about the depth of spiritual service, the blessing it bestows on the soul, and its lasting impact on the life of the servant. He presented each servant with a HIGH Office Passport. At the end of the meeting, commemorative photos were taken with joy in front of Saint Mark's Cathedral in Abbassia. The meeting was attended by Metropolitan Youssef of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Southern United States of America, along with Bishop Basil and Bishop Gregory, general bishops of the same diocese. He gifted each of them with a HIGH Office Shield. The service visit by HOPE Organization to Egypt was coordinated with the HIGH Office, which is responsible for facilitating communication between Coptic Church dioceses outside Egypt and the areas most in need of service within the dioceses of Egypt. The office was established by a decision of the Holy Synod in March 2024. The name 'HIGH' is an acronym for 'Hands in God's Hand'. H.O.P.E. is the social services arm of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Southern US. Established under the auspices of Bishop Youssef, H.O.P.E. serves Christians in need around the world. The service is financed purely by donations, and all services are performed by volunteer workers so that 100 per cent of each donation goes towards helping those in need. Services in Egypt include aid for underserved Egyptian families, adult education and literacy classes, aiding couples planning marriage with their new homes, and helping the elderly. In Sudan, three buses were operated to evacuate people outside the war-torn country; in Botswana, families were provided with bathrooms; addicts were helped rehabilitate; and persons with disability were cared for. In Ethiopia Kenya and other places such as Syria, Thailand, and Lebanon, food was distributed in disaster ares and orphans were given much needed care. Comments comments Tags: Basma NasserPope Tawadros HOPE organization
