Turkey’s Christian communities celebrate a muted Christmas on Friday this year as pandemic restrictions prohibit mass celebrations. Churches are open, but attendance has been limited to prevent crowding, which is seen as the greatest source of infection transmission.
The country, the birthplace of St. Nicholas, the inspiration behind Santa Claus, is home to Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox communities. Following the COVID-19 outbreak in the country in March, churches were forced to close their doors but reopened during the summer in the normalization period.
A subsequent surge in COVID-19 cases in the autumn meant that restrictions had to be reintroduced. The number of visitors will be limited to a small congregation. Ruben Tierrablanca Gonzalez, Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul and spiritual leader of the Catholic community, was among the victims of the outbreak. Gonzalez passed away on Tuesday after a battle with the virus at a hospital in Istanbul.
In the western province of Izmir, Meryem Ana Evi (Virgin Mary House), a popular spot to mark Christmas, announced only thirty people would be allowed for Christmas service this year. The house in Selçuk district, is a pilgrimage site as it is where Virgin Mary is believed to spend her last days and her Assumption or death, according to the Catholic faithful. A Christmas Eve service was canceled due to pandemic measures. Priests and attendants will require wear masks at the religious service which will be held outside the ancient abode to prevent crowding and for social distancing. Rene Custermans, a visitor from the United States, said she was looking forward to attending the service and was sorry for not being admitted, she told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Thursday.
