Nayrouz: The Coptic New Year

OBJECTIVE

To learn about the Feast of the Nayrouz (Coptic New Year) and the sacrifices of the Martyrs and Saints in the Coptic church and understand the difference between the Coptic Calendar and Gregorian Calendar.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5-7 Minutes

The servant should start by bringing with him some dates (preferably red dates) and guava. If these fruits are unavailable, the servant should bring pictures of these fruits with him to the class. The servant will show these to the class and ask the following questions:

Do you know where dates come from? What type of trees do they grow on? How many different colors are there to date?
- Answers: Dates are a fruit that comes from Northern Africa and the Middle East. They typically grow on Palm Trees. 2 colors, usually bright red or bright yellow.
Do you know where guava comes from? How is guava grown? How many different types of guava are there?
- Answers: Guava are a fruit that come from Central and South America, but also are grown throughout the world. They typically grow on trees. There are 2 types of guava, one that has a yellow skin and white, yellow or pink flesh (most common) and another one known as the Strawberry Guava which has purplish red skin.
Why is it a tradition to eat these fruits during the Coptic New Year season in the church?
- Dates - mainly because they are darker in color on the outside (like the red ones) which represents the blood of the Martyrs in our church, and white on the inside, which represents the purity of the people who shed their blood for Christ.
- Guava - same reason, they also mainly grow during this season

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 3 Minutes

Passages or references that the lesson is based on, or that tie into the message of the lesson.

Memory Verse - "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Mathew 5:10-12
Alternate Memory Verse - "You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 20 Minutes

We suggest that the servant begins with some questions to gauge the class' knowledge of what a Martyr is and their significance in the church by asking some questions to the class about the topic of martyrdom. The servant should also ask if the class can name some of the well-known martyrs in the church and some of their favorite martyrs (patron saints) .

What does the church celebrate in the Coptic New Year?
- In the Coptic New Year the church celebrates : 1. honoring of the martyrs who shed their blood for Christ's sake 2. Joyful celebration of a Coptic New Year.

Honoring of the Martyrs

What is a martyr? What does it mean to be a martyr?

A martyr is a person who sacrifices their life for the sake of their beliefs.
- In our church, a martyr is someone who has died for the sake of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The word Martyr means Witness (in greek). What it means to be a martyr is that you have witnessed for Our Lord Jesus Christ by dying for His name.

What is the importance of the Martyrs in the Coptic Church?

"The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the church."
- This means that without the martyrs we would not be here today and our church would not be so deeply rooted in its magnificent rites, traditions and culture.
- The martyrs defended the faith in front of emperors, kings, and many evil rulers. They were not afraid of dying because of their faith. This is something that has been going on from after the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ until today
- Because of their bravery and faith in the Lord, our church has been preserved and the Christian Faith has spread throughout the whole world
- Further, the Martyrs rejoiced in their sufferings, they accepted this upon themselves to ensure the spread of the faith as commanded by Our Lord Jesus Christ

A Little History on the Church Martyrs (Optional for the servant based on time)

Historians have named the Coptic Church the Church of the Martyrs', not only because of their great number, but also because of their desire for martyrdom.
The first wave of persecution took place in the first century when the Apostle Saint Mark suffered martyrdom in Alexandria by the pagan Egyptians. Commencing from 202 AD and continuing for seven years, the Coptic Church also suffered persecution under the reign of Septimus Severus, who, when he visited Egypt and found that Christianity had spread, ordered the ruler to increase the persecution and prevent preaching at any cost. Consequently, the School of Alexandria was closed and its dean, Saint Clement, was compelled to flee.
In 284 AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian began his persecution of the Christians by dismissing every soldier from the army who refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods. On the following year, he issued his famous edict against the Christians. It was his belief that if he could crush Christianity in Egypt, it would be easier to eliminate it from the rest of the world. Hence the persecution of the Christians in Egypt was more intense than in any other country; about 800,000 men, women and children were martyred in Egypt. For this reason, the Coptic Church determined to start its calendar from the year of Diocletian's accession to the throne in 284 AD, calling the calendar Anno Martyrii', meaning, Of the Martyrs'
Throughout these waves of persecution, many spiritual leaders devoted themselves to strengthening the martyrs and confessors, visiting them in prisons, and accompanying them in their trials, and even to the place of execution. Some of them cared for and buried the saints' bodies, and wrote the biography of their trials and martyrdom as eye-witnesses, calling their accounts, 'The Acts of the Martyrs'.
Among the famous martyrs were Saint Mena the Wonder worker, Saint Reflca and her five children, Saint Catherine, and the Thebean Legion (numbering almost seven thousand soldiers) who, led by Saint Maurice, refused to sacrifice to the gods and were all martyred in Switzerland. The list of the martyrs of the Coptic Orthodox Church is endless.

Coptic Calendar vs. Gregorian Calendar

Why is the Coptic New Year on September 11 (except leap years September 12) and not on January 1?
1. The Coptic Calendar is also known as the Alexandrian Calendar and is not based on the Gregorian Calendar (which is our modern day calendar)
Here the servant should show the coptic calendar to the class and go over the months (which will also be later done in activities).

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

How do we recognize and celebrate the martyrs in the coptic church?
- Synaxarium has stories of all of the saints in the church
- Church Names & Monastery Names
- Icons
- In our liturgical prayers (Commemoration of the Saints (liturgy/tasbeha), doxologies & verses of cymbals in Matins and Vespers)
- Patron Saints Prayers and Intercessions
Who was the 1st Martyr? Do you know his story?
- St. Stephen - if the class does not know his story and time is permitting, the servant should share his story found in the book of Acts, chapter 6.
What are the ranks of the church in our prayers?
- God/Jesus
- St. Mary
- All of the Heavenly Orders
- St. John the Baptist
- Martyrs
- Confessors

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

Takeaways:

We must learn to be Martyrs in our own lives. We must learn to sacrifice for God and to love the church because it was preserved for us by precious blood.
We must learn how to love the church and take care of it and be encouraged to learn more about it and defend it (such as learning the coptic months and traditions, learning the stories of the lives of the saints and martyrs and aim to be like them).
We must learn that every new year is a new opportunity for us to commit our lives to God as did the Martyrs and Saints and use them as an example to become better Christians and stronger in faith.