“An Unlikely Survivor: The Shared Feast of St. George / Khidr in Lod”

“On November 16 of every year, the church of St. George in Lod fills with hundreds of worshippers who arrive for the Feast of St. George/Khidr, the day commemorating the translation of his relics to the church at the heart of Lod. Pilgrims travel from Nazareth and Bethlehem and as far away as Jordan to receive the blessing of the saint, who is the patron saint of Palestine, and to ask for healing or the gift of childbirth. Muslims come to honor al-Khidr, or “the green one,” a Quranic figure. They light candles together in what is one of the last truly shared feasts between Muslims and Christians in the region.

In attending the feast for the last two years, I have been struck by how much it is a feast of memory, of holding onto traditions that have long died out in much of the region. It also marks the end of the olive harvest, and central to the feast day is a ritual in which pilgrims descend to the tomb beneath the church and pour olive oil on the tomb of St. George, in thanks for a bountiful harvest. They retrieve the olive oil in small containers to distribute to those who need blessing.”

Read the rest here: http://www.mosaicstories.org/2017/11/20/unlikely-survivor-shared-feast-st-georgekhidr-lod/