Tool ma al-nasrani sayam, al-bared 'ayam

As long as the Christian fasts, the cold lasts.

Damascenes of all stripes are eagerly anticipating Easter because once it arrives, winter have officially ended – or so says one of the many proverbs by which many people here live their lives.

During lent, Syrian Christians refrain from eating meat, a form of fasting. They attend weekly Friday night church services dedicated to Mary. Every evening, church youth bands rehearse in preparation for Easter Day parades. And daily, Christians light candles at the many Christian shrines built in nooks along the alleyways of Bab Touma.