Ask sacha anything

[Incal]

Syria has a lot of dialects, Lebanon too but less than Syria. I hear these words in both areas but for the most part it seems to make sense.

Thanks for the Erklärung.

There's one last thing I wanted to ask (more redtape-ish): Can the church in Syria issue baptism certificates? Or do they even exist? And do they have some value? I ask because once I needed to do some paperwork and needed my granny's birth certificate but had problems to find it so they told me a baptism certificate could also work and has official value too. Is it the same over there?

[Laly]

Hello Sacha! You know, I have visited your country not long ago and it was amazing! Syria is such a fascinating country!

I have also been in Tartous, such a nice seaside town.

I have visited this church, which is now a museum:



I also attended the mass in Tartous:



Do you regularly go to Syria? Do you have a lot of family members there or is your family in France?

Do you regularly use Aleppo soap?

[happycow]

You don't have to keep up with the service, I saw that you are Palestinian in another thread and the after-church socialization time will probably have a lot of food you are familiar with, similar people, always old ladies sitting at a table, it will not be completely alien. People will be very happy to see someone interested You just cannot take communion if you are not a Christian, so you shouldn't go up there when people line up.

Of course we take converts, we are Catholic, you go through the normal procedures and if I recall correctly if you want to officially be Maronite you have to do a rite change, but it is the same religion. I have heard many churches nowadays are extremely Latinized but the ones I have found in the US are fine, a little less 'into it' but that is to be expected of course. If the church has more people connected to Lebanon and Syria, it will be more Eastern, if it doesn't it will be more like Latin Catholics.

Ah ok, that's very interesting! Thank you for this! I became Christian back in 2018, although I began to struggle with faith over the years I've been slowly come back to it. I've been to a few churches including my brothers, my friend's messianic congregation and even a mormon church lol. I'm doing a little searching at the moment. There is an arabic baptist church I had been wanting to visit but have not gotten around to it, then there is the Maronite Church close to me that I thought would be great to visit too.

[RogueState]

Do you personally support Bashar? And more generally, what's the percentage of Syrians that support his regime?

[Kess]

Ah ok, that's very interesting! Thank you for this! I became Christian back in 2018, although I began to struggle with faith over the years I've been slowly come back to it. I've been to a few churches including my brothers, my friend's messianic congregation and even a mormon church lol. I'm doing a little searching at the moment. There is an arabic baptist church I had been wanting to visit but have not gotten around to it, then there is the Maronite Church close to me that I thought would be great to visit too.

Were you born Muslim?

[happycow]

Were you born Muslim?

Yes muslim background, although my parents were not exactly the most religious.

[sacha]

Hello Sacha! You know, I have visited your country not long ago and it was amazing! Syria is such a fascinating country!

I have also been in Tartous, such a nice seaside town.

I have visited this church, which is now a museum:



I also attended the mass in Tartous:



Do you regularly go to Syria? Do you have a lot of family members there or is your family in France?

Do you regularly use Aleppo soap?

Yes, I like Aleppo soap, my grandmother used to make me put olive oil all over my face and it is kind of like that but in an actual soap form. I think it has helped keep my skin nice.

I would say yes, I regularly go back to Syria, most of my family is there even though many have migrated out over the last ~50 years to other countries; the older people all have remained while it is mostly the younger generation that leaves. So while I have family scattered everywhere, we still have our 'homeland' and many people in Syria. I only left when I started university and I still would go back and spend the summers there, then a few years ago I came to the US and I have gone back less, but after I get U.S. citizenship I will try to return.

I know this church It is right there next to the Corniche, and a short drive from the Holiday Beach resort + Gaia Beach Club, I would always be in this area for the summer. And close to Arward Island as well. We have a lot of old things around this area, an hour away is Krak des Chevaliers, up more on the coast there are a lot of ruins + some stuff in Baniyas like Marqab castle.

[Abti]

Do you feel like Syrian Christians or Middle Eastern Christians in general who live the West are 'too westernized' for their own good?

[Mortimer]

What do you think of me?

What do you think of me?

[oszkar07]

Ask sacha anything

How did you find out about this Apricity forum and decide to join it.
If you have studied population genetics from your region , is there a marked difference between for eg Syrian and Lebanese DNA results.
Can you tell from looks or accent or any other cultural or characteristic traits a Syrian and Lebanese person apart ?