In Al Hamidiyah, Homs’s historic Christian-majority neighbourhood, 40-year-old Bashar Hors joined Palm Sunday celebrations with his wife and young daughter at the Um Al Zennar Cathedral — one of the world’s oldest churches.
In a country with a complex patchwork of religious minorities, wary of new Islamist governance and sudden sectarian flare-ups, the atmosphere, Bashar said, felt almost normal.
“We celebrated Palm Sunday as usual this year,” said the government employee and environmental activist. “The numbers were lower, partly because of the cold weather, but also because some people were still afraid of possible security incidents.”
Those fears, he added, began to ease as they approached the church and saw the heavy presence of police and security officers.
Like many others, Bashar could not help but compare this Easter to the last major holiday — Christmas — which came just weeks after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December.
For the roughly 300,000 Christians who remain in Syria — a mere 2% of the pre-war population of 1.5 million — it was the first major Christian celebration under the new Islamist-led government headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former leader of the now-dissolved Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which played a major role in Assad’s ousting.
At that time, while churches remained open, the atmosphere was uneasy.
In Hama, Syria’s fourth-largest city, masked men set fire to a Christmas tree, triggering protests across Damascus. Attacks on Christian sites and general uncertainty prompted some church leaders to advise families to scale back celebrations.
“Now, things feel more stable,” Bashar said. “There’s been less back-and-forth on social media, fewer sectarian discussions, and the atmosphere overall feels calmer across the country.”
Security brings some stability
Under the watch of security and hopeful clergy, Holy Week in Damascus resumed with a familiar yet cautious rhythm.
“This year, we were able to celebrate the Holy Week like we used to,” said Father Firas Lutfi, head of the Latin community in Damascus. “There’s been security cooperation with the new leadership, and a real effort to keep Christians safe during the holidays.”
He described coordination with authorities as 'high-level' and noted that families attended services in good numbers.
“We’ve been able to pray freely, hold our rituals, and prepare for the holidays normally,” he added, noting that scouts were planning Easter processions throughout the city.
In Bab Sharqi, a neighbourhood nestled beside the Eastern Gate of the ancient Old City and home to some of Syria's Christian communities, the streets were cleared of traffic and checkpoints were placed at key entry points.
Al-Zaitoun Church, one of the main churches in the area, was brightly decorated. Volunteers arranged colourful photo corners — one pink with roses, another blue with painted eggs — while a large image of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey stood in the courtyard, where families gathered to take pictures.
One mother, snapping photos of her two young children, reflected on how her approach to this holiday had changed since Christmas.
“I was scared back then, especially for my kids,” she said. “But now, with things feeling more stable, I decorated the house, made sweets, and dyed eggs. Children deserve joy.”
Rita al-Sha'er described a similar sense of comfort elsewhere in Damascus, at Saints Peter and Paul Church in New Cham.
“We celebrated like we used to,” said Rita.
“The atmosphere was good. Nothing changed in the rituals or the clothes women wore,” she continued, reflecting concerns about how visible expressions of faith or dress might shift under the new government.
She also noted that Muslim volunteers had joined pthe ublic security to help protect the church.
Fresh wounds in the background
Still, this year’s Holy Week celebrations took place under the shadow of recent violence.
In early March, one of the bloodiest episodes since the regime change saw sectarian clashes erupt in Syria’s coastal heartland between armed groups loyal to Assad and forces aligned with the new government, leaving more than 800 people dead in a matter of days.
In his Palm Sunday sermon, Father Lutfi spoke of the fragility of the moment, pointing to the economic crisis, Western sanctions, and the scars left by years of war, now compounded by the recent coastal violence.
At Saints Peter and Paul Church, Reverend Elias Thabet, who also heads the Greek Catholic Patriarchate’s Spiritual Court of Appeal, acknowledged the mixed mood among congregants.
“Some fears remain,” he said. “There are still minds that reject others and reject different beliefs and symbols. That’s what causes this sense of worry. But we face it through honest Christian faith.”
“We need to communicate that everyone is accepted and loved, and that we all share a firm belief in God,” he added. “There is no place for radical or extremist thinking that rejects the other or wants them dead.”
Celebration amid economic collapse
Despite the spiritual significance of Holy Week, this year’s celebrations were marked by economic hardship as well.
Holy Week, the most sacred period in the Christian calendar, commemorates the final days of Jesus’s life and resurrection.
It begins with Palm Sunday, marking Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem, and continues through to Maundy Thursday, when priests wash the feet of worshippers as a gesture of humility. The week then progresses to Good Friday, with its solemn services, and culminates in the Easter Vigil, where the Paschal candle is lit to symbolise Christ’s resurrection.
According to Elias, many churches also incorporate unique traditions, such as the Wednesday service in which worshippers are anointed with blessed olive oil, and Saturday’s scattering of bay leaves — a symbol of victory — followed by church bells ringing out at noon to proclaim the resurrection. On Easter morning, churches hold sunrise services to celebrate the risen Christ.
Traditionally, Syrian Christians mark the holiday with family gatherings, festive meals, and new clothes for children. In the lead-up to Easter, markets fill with shoppers buying ingredients for lunch and dyeing eggs. But this year, those customs were more difficult to uphold under the weight of economic collapse.
With the Syrian pound in freefall, prices soaring, and wages dwindling, everyday costs have become unbearable. The country’s GDP has shrunk to less than half its pre-war level, unemployment has tripled, poverty has risen from 33% to 90%, and extreme poverty now affects two-thirds of the population, compared to just 11% before the war.
In Qassaa, for example — a Christian-majority district in northeast Damascus — shopfronts have been adorned with chocolate eggs, bunnies, and sweets arranged in vibrant towers. However, behind the colourful displays, many families browsed quietly, selecting only what they could afford.
A similar picture appeared in Homs.
“People are buying sweets and chocolates in smaller quantities,” said Bashar. “Restaurants used to be packed after the services, but now an outing costs more than what an employee can afford.”
Visible joy, lingering fear
Even with calm streets and festive church scenes, unease remains.
“You may see churches holding services and scouts performing,” said Jamil Diyarbekirli, director of the Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights. “But the fears haven’t disappeared. The new leadership offers verbal reassurance, but on the ground, we haven’t seen much.”
In January, al-Sharaa met with representatives from the country’s Christian denominations to affirm their safety and rights under the new leadership. However, according to Jamil, concerns persist.
“Christians aren’t facing systematic persecution,” he said, “but we’ve seen vans driving through Christian neighbourhoods using loudspeakers to urge people to convert to Islam. And there’s discomfort with the presence of foreign fighters. They don’t understand the country’s traditions, and their behaviour often clashes with the norms of coexistence here.”
Thousands of foreign fighters joined the uprising as it escalated into full-scale war, and many Syrians now fear these groups are attempting to impose extremist ideologies on the nation.
“These are new patterns,” Jamil added. “The state hasn’t intervened to stop them.”
For Jamil, reassurance requires more than symbolic meetings.
“What we need is a constitution that reflects Syria’s diversity, a pluralistic and inclusive political system, and a Syrian identity that embraces everyone, not one defined by a single colour or religion.”
Mawada Bahah is an independent Syrian journalist with bylines in local, regional and international outlets
Follow her on X: @MawadaBahah
This piece was published in collaboration with Egab