Our first stop was Caesaria, an ancient Roman port built by Herod the Great. This Herod guy liked to build and we’ll hear more from him later when we write about Masaada. So, Herod wasn’t content with just building a port on the sea, he built a palace over the sea. He basically built a giant pier that allowed his entire palace to be built over water and created a harbor. My Dad is a history buff so this was an exciting stop for him; the rest of us weren’t as excited by random piles of stones.
After Caesaria, we headed to Nazareth to see where Jesus was raised. Apparently Nazareth is using the same street plan as 2,000 years ago because the streets are barely wide enough for one car and then people park along them.
After some tricky navigating, my dad managed to get the car parked and we visited the Church of the Annunciation. The most interesting thing about this church is that each country appears to have donated an “icon” or image of Mary and Jesus. Below is Greece’s contribution.
Most countries went with simple depictions of Mary sitting with an infant Jesus and it was interesting to see how each country’s culture impacted their interpretation of the icon. America’s contribution looked like crumpled, 3D tin-foil so apparently Americans prefer the “Jesus as a superhero” theme to our icon. Also, many nations appeared to depict Jesus as their own race or ethnicity and while I fully acknowledge that religion is larger than race, gender, or ethnicity, it was also a little strange. I’ve always imagined Jesus being somewhat Middle Eastern looking though of course he might have looked African or European; I am fairly certain though that Jesus was not of Asian descent. The Japanese apparently disagree:
Next it was on to Tiberius and the Sea of Galilee before stopping at Akko to see a Crusader-era fort. Those Crusaders were also fantastic builders and we were treated to a gorgeous sunset before racing back to Jerusalem for Christmas Eve Service at a
Lutheran Church.
One thing that was very interesting to us was spending time in a country where Christmas was not a big deal. We take it for granted that Christmas is a holiday in the US whether you’re celebrating religiously or secularly. Christmas of 2010 happened to fall on a Saturday but things weren’t closed because of Christmas, they were closed starting at sundown on December 24th because of Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath). This meant that many establishments are closed or take special care to not violate the rules governing work on the Sabbath. Hotels for example install “Shabbat clocks” that turn on/off lights at appropriate times so Orthodox Jewish followers do not have to use light switches. Shabbat elevators stop automatically at every floor so that no buttons have to be used. I have to admit that it was inconvenient that Christmas wasn’t widely observed and it was a brief glimpse of life for people who don’t celebrate Christmas in the US and who have to take vacation days to celebrate their holidays.
So interesting to see places that have previously only been towns written in the Bible. My impression prior to reading this is that many of the historical places have not been preserved and have been built over, so this was a treat to see through the photos.
ReplyDeleteI'm also sure that you found the real meaning of Christmas even without the hush that reigns on Christmas Eve in the United States and other primarily Christian countries. I DO know that you were held closely that night.
Love,
Mom/L