Christian[edit]

Previously, the feast attracted Arabs from throughout Palestine to visit the Mon
astery of Saint George and trade loaves of bread, make sacrifices they vow to fu
lfill and gather for picnics under the olive trees surrounding the monastery.
The same tradition continues today, with many Christian pilgrims coming to bapti
ze their children, due to the abundance of stories about the healing properties
of St. George. Although the priest accepts meat as a gift, the Christian traditi
on of the monastery itself doesn't sacrifice the animals[3] On the morning of 6
May, Palestinian Christians from Beit Jala, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and other par
ts of Palestine would march in a procession to the monastery.[1]
Muslim[edit]
Traditionally, Muslims guard the entrance of the church and welcome pilgrims. Li
ke the Christians, the Muslims too sacrifice sheep during the feast and offering
s are stored in a sheep pen in the garden of the monastery. In Islam, two sacrif
ices are offered: The first is the dhabihah, which requires that one-third of th
e immolated lamb be set aside for consumption by its owner, while the remaining
two-thirds are for Allah and given as charity. The second offering is that of a
live animal, bequeathed as a gift to St. George.[4]
Muslim signs dot the courtyard of the monastery and traces of the sacrifices are
evident in the form of the lamb hides left on the balustrades to dry.