Easter

Christians in Damascus place greater significance on Easter than they do Christmas, which, my American friends here who know about such things tell me, is how it's supposed to be.

This year, the Eastern Easter and the Western Easter coincided (three weeks or so ago) and the Christian quarter of the Old City was a tableau of parades, fancy dresses, fig-filled sugar cookies, even children dressed as Easter bunnies. The Orthodox churches went first, with services starting at midnight; the Greek Catholics offered two, at midnight and 5 a.m. Others observed the anniversary of Christ's resurrection at more civilized times.

The 10 o'clock Anglican service was followed by a cascade of balloons in the church courtyard. Kids grabbed them to pop and moms snatched them up to decorate the house.