Türkİye
Orthodox Christians in Turkey hold religious ceremony
Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew takes part in ceremony at Aya Nikola Church on Gokceada Island
15.08.2018 - Update : 15.08.2018
Christians take part in a mass in memory of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Gokceada district of Canakkale, Turkey on August 15, 2018. Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos (not seen) also attended the mass. ( Burak Akay - Anadolu Agency )
Ankar
CANAKKALE, Turkey
Orthodox Christians living in Turkey on Wednesday held a ceremony on an island in the historic Canakkale province.
Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew took part in the annual ceremony at the Aya Nikola Church on the western island of Gokceada, in the village of Zeytinli, where he was born.
Many priests from various countries and ethnic Greeks living in Turkey also took part in the event.
People prayed for a peaceful and healthy life by lighting candles at the church's entrance.
The ceremony, held every Aug. 15 on Gokceada, marks the Feast of the Dormition, or the assumption of the sleeping Virgin Mary, Jesus' mother, into Heaven.
Reporting by Burak Akay:Writing by Faruk Zorlu
