Due to the war that broke out in the fall season and disrupted life in the region, especially in Lebanon, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) was unable to celebrate the Season of Creation during the traditional period from September 1 to October 4. Once the situation calmed down, the Program Coordinator Archdeacon Garen Yosolkanian, began organizing many celebrations and activities, during the Christmas period, starting from Egypt.

On December 27, 2024, which is the Sunday of the Righteous Saint, the Spouse of the Virgin Mary in the Byzantine Rite and the Sunday of the Genesis in the Coptic Rite, the first celebration of the Season of Creation 2024 in Egypt was held at the Church of the Virgin Mary and Mother Teresa for the Coptic Catholics in Ezbet El Nakhl. The celebration included an awareness campaign on the importance of the environment and a presentation of the changes that occurred in the areas of Ezbet El Nakhl, which lost its palm tree grove and consequently lost traces of the date tree, due to the lack of a pure approach to creation and local nature.

On December 29, 2024, a Liturgical celebration and a Prayer Service for the Season of Creation were held at the Evangelical Church of El Zahour, according to the Arabic text issued by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). It is worth noting that the Church is new, located in a city which is still under construction in El Zahour area. The celebration was led by Reverend Eid Salah, Reverend Jeremiah and the Church elders, in the presence of a crowd of believers from the area, including many young people and children, along with guests from Lebanon and the Head of the Ecumenical Youth Committee in Egypt.

The celebration began with the introduction of Egyptian mandarin oranges and bananas with rice and lentils, which are considered basic foods for daily food throughout Egypt. During the Prayer, each person thanked God for the daily nutritional plant creation that He gives us throughout the year.

At the end of the celebration, which took place on the last Sunday of the year, Archdeacon Garen Yosolkanian blessed the fruits and grains and gave each person an orange, based on an Armenian Jerusalem tradition of blessing and giving oranges on New Year’s Eve.

Then, he explained the principles of recycling, especially in the uses of daily food, and how to reuse waste such as fruit peels. He also presented some instructions on how to plant seeds from fruits, ways to reduce organic waste, and the importance of arranging the streets in EL Zahour area.

After a word of thanks and a Sermon delivered by Sheikh Imad, everyone recited the Lord’s Prayer before exchanging Christmas greetings and New Year’s wishes.