Friday afternoon in Nazareth, Israel

We passed by a park; yesterday, it was empty, and pigeons were eating bread someone had left for them to enjoy. Today we walk by, and it is full of Muslim men listening to the chanting prayer.

All were barefoot, all either sitting on their rug, some standing and bowing.

I read that women could attend, but in this particular session, I saw only men. We returned to our hostel, and the prayer continued for another 30 minutes.

Friday is the Muslim prayer day, also known as Jumah, or Friday prayer; the prayer starts at noon and lasts up to 45 minutes and is followed by another prayer immediately after that lasts around 10 minutes.

Friday is also a sacred day in Islamic tradition and is referred to as Al-Jumu’ah. Al-Jumu’ah in Arabic means the day of the congregation, and Friday blessings are special.

After the prayer was finished, the city went silent. The only sound I hear is my computer’s engine working double time and a few birds flying around.

A day for those who follow the Islamic religion to pray and spend time with their families.

For those who hold a Christian faith, the holy day is Sunday, and it is meant to be a day of rest, as that is when God is said to rest. Muslims believe that Allah finished creation on Friday and the day that God created Adam and placed him in Eden, or paradise.

Luckily I bought enough food to last until night, if all the shops are closed as in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

Before the day went silent, Nazareth Old City was full of people selling goods and drinking Arabic coffee. I finally had my first cup, which was so good and strong.

We then wandered through the old city; we ran into a group of Chinese tourists. The girl who was with me was also Chinese, so we spoke with them for a while.

They were predominantly Catholic Priests from China, and one of them was telling us the significance of the Greek Orthodox church and Mary’s Well.

Online it is said that Mary’s Well is where the angel came to Mary and told her she would give birth to the son of God. One of the group members said the site is not well where we were standing, but at the spring underneath the church, which is said to have three layers.

The oldest one at the bottom contains a spring, where Mary was when she received her message. It was interesting as they let us join their group for a bit before they headed to another city.

The winding corridors of the old city, buildings built on each other. Once a small village, now a city where old meets new. Every shop owner greets you with a smile, and school kids are curious and say hi as we pass.

Once the hot sun begins to cool, I will wander back out to see if the city is as quiet as it sounds from where I am sitting.

It will be interesting to see what the city is like in comparison to other cities I have visited. Mostly Jewish, and all closed for Shabbat Friday afternoons and all day Saturdays.

A change of pace, here things seem to go a bit slower, than in the big city. The city streets are still full of traffic and honking, however as I sit here now the peaceful silence I will enjoy.

XOXO

S