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| Grapefruit seller, El Obied |
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I wander on up to the library and the internet [café], both of which are still closed. It's quite challenging, this five-day bank holiday. So I buy yoghurt, grapefruit, loose karkaday and a pound of sugar instead.By 7:30pm it is quite quiet and quite dark. Apart, that is, from the Catholic Cathedral where worship is in full swing: doors open, lights ablaze. There are a few contemplative attendees stood and sat in the churchyard so I join them positioning myself so I can see straight down the aisle. The church appears to be full. The service is in Arabic, which surprises me having got used to it being the language of Islam. I wonder what word they use for "God"; surely not "Allah"?
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| Catholic Cathedral, El Obied |
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I can't be sure but it seems to me that the women sit separately from the men. After the sermon there are readings and then the priest sets about consecrating the elements. The stages of this are interspersed with enthusiastic drumming and chanting from the choir, and bells from unseen angels. I notice the altar boys are dressed, as anywhere, in full length white robes and realise there is little difference from the jalabayas worn throughout the Arab world.At the "exchanging of the peace" even the "garden people" feel the sudden need to acknowledge each other and make great journeys across the yard to shake each other's hands. When the time comes to "go up" a line of men forms in the centre aisle; a nun takes a second chalice off to one side, presumably for the women. I expect the whole thing to take forever but in the end only about a fifth of the congregation go up. Hey! I wonder if they have alcoholic wine?
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