Maronite Traditions: Visting 7 Churches on Thursday of Mysteries (Maundy/Holy Thursday)

I was always intrigued why Maronites visit 7 churches on the Thursday of Mysteries, the day preceding Good Friday. So I decided to finally get an answer and ask my hometown’s priest.

Anciently, Jerusalem only had seven churches. So it became customary for its people to visit those churches on Thursday of Mysteries. And the tradition kept going. There’s no religious reason to visit 7 churches. It’s simply a tradition that’s a byproduct of the culture present at that time – and that tradition has lived on.

So I figured, why have it stop with me?

Here are the 7 churches I visited yesterday:

1 – St. Charbel (From whom the Maronite saint took his name) Church – Ebrine

2 – St. Charbel (Maronite Saint) Church – Ebrine

3 – St. John the Baptist Church, Ebrine:

4 – The Virgin Mary’s Church – Ebrine

5 – Convent of the “Sainte Famille” Church – Ebrine

6 – St. Georges’ Church – Rashkida

This is hundreds of years old. It’s currently being renovated by my hometown’s parish as Rashkida is not a Christian town.

7 – St. Anthony’s Church, Ebrine

My Favorite Lebanese Easter Chants/Hymns

It’s that time of the year again – Easter.

To me, Good Friday proceedings are always riveting, as well as depressing. Even though year after year the whole premise has become more or less repetitive, the whole feel of Good Friday is just too haunting to shake off – no matter how old you get.

And chants are always an essential part adding to the overall feel of Easter. These are my favorite Lebanese Easter chants.

Wa Habibi (Chanted by Fairuz).

Al Yawm 3oulika 3ala Khachaba (Chanted by Fairuz).

Ana Al Oumo Al 7azina (Chanted by Fairuz).

Ya Sha3bi W Sa7bi

Lebanese Newborn Abandoned… Eaten by Stray Dogs

The DailyStar has reported that a one day old newborn, abandoned by her mother, was found dead after being eaten by stray dogs in Saida.

To say some people should never EVER be parents is an understatement. The little baby’s parents need to be found and brought to jail. I don’t care what the circumstances of the mother giving up her little girl are. Nothing excuses such an act.
I’m sure she’s indifferent – even happy – her daughter served as a midnight meal for animals.
Disgusting.

The Lebanese Help: Lebanese Cop Rapes Maid on Valentine’s Day

February 14th is when this happened. April 5th is when we found out about it. They sure know how to cover their tracks.

The cop in question was apparently lonely on Valentine’s Day. So the only way he could find company was to force himself on a maid he had behind bars in his headquarters in Nabatiyeh. The reason she was in jail? She tried to escape from her employers, for many reasons.

Soon after, the maid was taken to a women jail in Baabda where evidence of violence was noticed on her body. An official investigation was opened but the judge saw nothing that deserved attention so he only ordered the cop to be arrested for one day. Soon after, another judge in Nabatiyeh found out about the incidence and worked on keeping the cop in question in jail, pending trial and further investigation.

Today, the cop is still in jail – which is exactly where he should be. Some people try to somehow rationalize the cop’s behavior as him being “only human.”

That’s not an excuse. Cops are supposed to be here to protect us, not violate us. If we can’t trust them to keep their hormones in check, then who can we trust?

Perhaps Lebanese General Security should be way more thorough in checking those who apply to be part of their field. According to the article I linked to earlier, many General Security individuals have priors. How did they end up becoming those who keep the country’s security in check?

One word: wasta.

I fear that this cop’s wasta will soon work to get him out almost unscathed. The raped maid? She’ll be deported soon because there’s nothing else we can do, even though her stay here has scarred her both mentally and physically for life.

But for once, I salute the Lebanese judicial system for not letting something like this slide. Here’s hoping more maids get the same justice for the many wrongs Lebanese do to them – even if for a limited time.

Lebanese Basketball Player Scores 113 Points in One Game – Makes US Headlines

NBA, MSN, AOL, Newsday you name it….

I haven’t watched Lebanese Basketball since Sagesse went down the drain – it’s just not that interesting anymore. But everyone is talking about how Mohammad El Akkari scored 113 points to lead his team, Mouttahed, to a win over Bejjeh on Wednesday. Out of those 113 points, 32 were 3-point shots – out of 59 attempts that is.

Akkari’s previous averages were 7.6 points a game. So I have no idea how he managed what he did. But according to sport experts, he’s the first person in a long, long time to manage over 100 points in a single basketball game. Call it impressive, call it fishy, at least he’s making the news rounds.