orientalcairocit00sladuoft

The Old Coptic Churches in Cairo Itself 299
little boys in white robes with crimson caps and crimson
and gold crowns, and presently the chief priest in magnificent
robes made his appearance in their centre. This was the signal
for excellent chanting to begin and for the procession to move
round the church to show the reconciliation of Earth and
Heaven. A large image was carried round the church with
banners and lights, which typified in some way the raising of
Christ. So we understood from the Principal of the chief Coptic
school, who sat next to us and was very kind in trying to
explain things to us. We knew then that the gentleman,
who had tried to explain things to us at the other Coptic
church, had had a harder task than we imagined. The
Coptic ritual is very difficult for Protestants to understand.
We learnt from him that the brazen serpent which we
noticed in all the Coptic churches was the emblem of the
Patriarch.
The Patriarch, who is highly respected in Cairo by the
Christians of every sect, should have headed this procession
three times round the church, but he was an old man and not
equal to the exertion. The procession was quite a small
one ; it consisted only of two banners, a few choristers with
tapers, chanting, and three priests in splendid robes not
unlike those of bedawin sheikhs. Three sacred pictures were
also carried in the procession, which takes place every Sunday
for fifty days after Easter. The service must go on until
after midnight— it goes on till about half-past twelve— be-
cause the Bible tells us that Christ rose very early in the
morning.
A young man then read what our Coptic schoolmaster
friend called a speech, but which we should call a sermon, to
show that Christ was sent for the salvation of men. And
then came a most picturesque ceremony. Three times the
screen was rapped by a priest just beside the entrance, to
typify Christ knocking to come in. It recalled to me, and I
suppose to the Copts, those splendid verses in the twenty-
fourth psalm :
" Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors ;
and the King of glory shall come in.