Like many Christians across the globe, Jordanian Christians will celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter this month.
In Jordan, Easter is not only a principal festival in the Christian calendar - but it's also a season of joy, reflection, and timeless traditions. As churches fill with candlelight and the scent of “ka’ek bi ajwah" (Arabic date cookies) spreads through homes, communities across the country come together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ in deeply meaningful ways.
Here are some of the most cherished local Easter traditions celebrated across Jordan:
1. Attending a special Easter mass at one of the many churches around Jordan on Sunday morning or attending a late-night vigil on Holy Saturday.
(Orthodox Church in Madaba, Jordan)
2. Gathering with family members and extended relatives for a festive lunch with an array of local dishes, such as roasted lamb and freekeh (a green grain made from durum wheat), Jordan’s national dish of mansaf, or zucchini and grape leaves stuffed with a rice and meat mixture.
3. Coloring Easter eggs with bright, homemade dye and baking traditional Easter cookies known as “ka’ek bi ajwah,” which are made of semolina, filled with dates, and topped with powdered sugar.4. Attending an annual Easter egg hunt; this year, Mar Mansour, a local charity based in Jordan’s capital city of Amman, is hosting an egg hunt for children and parents in their garden along with horseback riding, games, and fun activities for the entire family.
5. Visiting one of Jordan’s many holy sites, including Mount Nebo, which is believed to be the place where prophet Moses saw the Holy Land and where he died or taking a trip to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, which is known to be the site where Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River.
(Mount Nebo, Jordan)