The Maronite Tauditho Meal
By Fr. Antonio
Elfeghali
Introduction
During Lent 2004, in St.
Maron’s Church in Detroit, I looked up at St. Maron’s picture on Good Friday,
thinking of hundreds of thousands of Maronites scattered all over the world. On
that day specifically, I first thought of a Maronite Tauditho Meal,
which brings the Maronite family together, teaches the new generations the
history of their Maronite ancestors, and draws lessons from itself.
Tauditho is a Syriac word that means
Thanksgiving. The Maronite Tauditho Meal is a thanksgiving meal, in
which we remember our story from its beginning up to
today. The whole Maronite history is divided into three sections. In each
section, we remember our ancestors’ experience of severe times, and our
history’s prosperous moments. During the meal, which is filled with symbols of
the Maronite History and inspired of the Last Supper or the Passover Meal, the
Maronite family can experience what our ancestors had to go through to secure
their faith, and to protect their freedom and independence. It also shows how
God would bring good out of evil. Moreover, they can experience their
ancestors' pain and joy through their senses (smell, taste, eating, sight, and
touch) and through symbols (roses, olive branch, etc.).
On your Tauditho table,
you will find candles, bread, wine, salt water, horseradish, fruit, roses, a
Bible, olive branches, and napkins. Before starting the meal, it is important
to explain the meaning of salt water, horseradish, fruit, bread, and wine in
the Jewish Seder Meal, the Last Supper (how it relates to the Mass), and
our Maronite Tauditho Meal. We will also shed light on the importance of
the role of the woman and the main dish.
Salt water
In
the Seder Meal, the Jewish family uses salt water to remember their
ancestors’ tears shed when they were in slavery in Egypt
At the Last Supper, Jesus
and his disciples have used salt water to remember the chosen people’s tears
shed in Egypt.
During Mass, we remember our
tears shed while living in slavery to sins.
In our Maronite Tauditho
Meal, we dip the bread in salt water to remember our ancestors’ tears shed when
they had to abandon their lands in Syria Lebanon
Horseradish
In
the Seder Meal, the Jewish family uses bitter herbs (horseradish) to
remember the bitterness their ancestors experienced when enslaved in Egypt
At the Last Supper, our Lord
Jesus Christ dipped the bread in bitter herbs and gave it to Judas the Iscariot
to make him taste his betrayal bitterness.
During Mass, we remember the
bitterness we experienced while living in slavery to sins.
In our Maronite Tauditho
Meal, we remember our ancestors’ bitterness when they were humiliated under
occupation or divide.
Fruit
In
the Seder Meal, the Jewish family eats fruit (charoses) to taste
the sweetness of freedom as Jesus and his disciples did at the Last Supper.
Before or during Mass,
Christians experience the sweetness of freedom each time they confess their
sins.
In our Maronite Tauditho Meal,
we eat fruit (Feereh) to taste the sweetness of Faith, Freedom, Independence
Bread
In the Seder Meal,
the Jewish family has three pieces of bread called Matzohs. According to
some Jewish explanations, the three pieces of bread represent the three angels
who visited Abraham. However, for Christians, the three angels represent the
Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the Seder Meal, the
middle piece of Matzoh is broken into two. One piece is left with the
other two Matzohs, and the second piece is wrapped in a cloth or napkin
and set aside. After the dinner, the children search for that piece and bring
it back to the table. In Christianity, Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the
Trinity, was broken on the Cross (crucified and died), wrapped in a shroud, and
put in a tomb. On the third day, he rose again.
After dinner, at the Last
Supper, Jesus brought the second piece of bread wrapped in a cloth and set
aside, and said to his disciples: “Take it. This is my body.” (Mark 14:22 ).
During Mass, the priest
breaks the bread and consumes it, saying: “The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ is
given to me for the forgiveness of my sins and for eternal life.” Before
Communion, the Maronites say or sing: “Ano Ano lahmo dhaaye emar Moraan khul
dokhel lee bhaymonooto neerath haaye,” which means as our Lord said, “I am
the bread of life. Whoever eats me in faith inherits life.”
In our Maronite Tauditho
Meal, three pieces of bread (Lahmo) are used. The first one is broken
into two pieces to remember Bet Moroon, which was ruined for the sake of
Faith. One piece is eaten. The second piece of Lahmo is wrapped in a
cloth or napkin and set aside. After dinner, the Maronites eat it in
thanksgiving, remembering how they were being nourished throughout history with
the bread of life given through Maron, Bet Moroon, and the Maronite Church
Wine
In
the Seder Meal, the Jewish family has four cups of wine:
1. The cup of
Sanctification.
2. The cup of Deliverance.
3. The cup of Redemption.
4. The cup of Consummation.
At the Last Supper, our Lord
Jesus Christ presented his disciples the third cup, the cup of Redemption,
saying: “Drink from this, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the
covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).
During Mass, the priest
drinks from the cup, saying: “The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is given to me
for the forgiveness of my sins and for eternal life.” Before Communion, the
Maronites say or sing: “Honaw koso dmazge Moraan al reesh qaysoqroob moyoote
weshtaw meneh lhoosoy hawbe”, which means, “This cup is the Blood of the
Redeemer prepared on the Cross. Come forth and drink from it for it forgives
sins and revives the dead.” In the United States
In our Maronite Tauditho
Meal, we have four cups of wine:
1. The cup of Faithfulness.
2. The cup of Freedom.
3. The cup of Independence
We remember the Maronite Martyrs whose blood shed
for the sake of faith, freedom, and independence. After dinner, we take the
fourth and last cup, the cup of salvation, to taste the joy of salvation.
The Role of the Woman
In
the Maronite Tauditho Meal, the woman has a very important role. In the Seder
Meal, the woman lights the candles. In the history of Salvation, Mary, the
Woman or the New Eve, brought the Light, Jesus Christ, into this world by
saying “Yes”. In the Maronite Tauditho Meal, the woman represents Mary.
She lights the candles: The large candle represents our Lord, Jesus Christ, the
Light of the World. The three small candles represent faith, hope, and love of
the Maronites attacked throughout history. The three large candles represent
faith, hope, and love of the Maronites that became stronger. The woman gives
her children fruit (Feereh) to taste the sweetness of faith, freedom,
independence, and salvation, the Bible to strengthen their faith, the rose to
smell the Church, and the olive branches to remind them of their message of
peace to the world.
The Main Dish
In
the Maronite Tauditho Meal, the main dish for dinner is Hreesay:
Here is the recipe:
Here is the recipe:
4 lamb shanks
2 lb shelled
wheat (soaked
overnight)
1 large onion
2 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
Place the meat in a large pot full with
water, boil, skim the foam, and add onions, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves.
Simmer for one hour adding water if needed, and then add wheat. After the wheat
gets soft, add one large onion and four cloves of sautéed garlic. Then, add
salt and spices to taste.
Sahtein
Sahtein
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