The Feast of Christmas celebrated in Tanzania
In the region of Iringa, in the poorest region of Tanzania, with its beautiful villages and countless huts, reminiscent of the manger of Bethlehem, the great feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was celebrated this year once again. The epicentre of the celebrations was the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in the village of Kipera. This village is one of the first centres of catechism and the Orthodox presence is particularly dynamic, and with the grace of God it continues to develop rapidly.
The simple villagers, like the shepherds of Bethlehem, came early to the Church, which was suffocatingly filled even before the Divine Liturgy began. All together they sang the Christmas carols which, at the urging of His Grace Bishop Agathonikos of Arusha and Central Tanzania, were translated by Sister Alexia and the priests of the translation committee. The melodious voices of the children filled the hearts of everyone likened to the angelic hymns of the Nativity of Christ and as the Divine Liturgy progressed the voices of young and old continued to sing tirelessly.
Before the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, the patriarchal encyclical of Christmas of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa, was read, and then Bishop Agathonikos expressed some thoughts on the spiritual message of the Christmas feast day. He called on all the faithful to remain close to the Church with fervent faith and hope in our born in the flesh Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
After the Divine Liturgy, everyone gathered in the courtyard of the Holy Church, in order to taste the food that the love of the friends of the mission continues to offer, and with great self-denial the women of the village prepared early in the morning.
Hundreds of brothers and sisters participated in the Christmas meal, while other residents of the village also came, who sat with them and felt in their hearts the warmth of love that the Orthodox Church offers to all people.
The meal was offered by the volunteer missionary group of expatriates from Germany, led by Mrs. Sarah Amanatidou, who never forgets the children of Tanzania and are always there for them in every need, as well as by the students of the 19th Bioclimatic Primary School and Kindergarten of Katerini who gave a message of humanity, love and hope to a world that constantly forgets the deeper meaning of love and is trapped in individualism.
