Being born and grew up in Jaffna, Christmas was not a big event for most part of my early life. Christians, mostly lived along the coastal part of the Jaffna peninsula, and I had very little interactions with them as a kid. I do not recall a single Christian class mate during my primary and secondary education. I did go to a Cathedral occasionally, but not during Christmas. These were the days without TV in Jaffna, so the opportunity to watch Christmas celebrations weren’t there either. I did have Catholic roommates while at Peradeniya, but they hardly discussed religion with me. I should also mention that during Christmas, I had University holidays, so, Christmas was another day I was on holidays.
As Christmas 1980 approached, a friend of mine of Mexican origin asked me to spend the holidays with him in Monterrey, Mexico. The offer was hard to refuse – he wanted to me to share the cost of gasoline for the 8-hour drive. I took him on. Having lived in Texas since Aug 1980, I was getting accustomed to ‘First World’ living. I was quickly reminded of third world conditions when I crossed the border. I crossed from one country to another by land the very first time, enjoyed homemade Mexican food for a week, went to a Bull-Fight, and partied every day at his friends or family.
For Christmas in 1981, I visited my friends at Penn State; I walked through a meter high snow, and enjoyed my first white Christmas. Visit to an Amish village was the highlight.
Subsequent Christmases in USA came and went. Like everyone else, I took advantage of the sales, although my requirements as a single person weren’t much.
Christmas 1987 had a completely different feel to Christmases I had before. I was in Griffith, NSW, Australia, an inland country town of 15,000. Not much happens here, and the temperature is in forties in December. Aussies are not that religious, but they do enjoy their holidays. There were plenty of barbecues (and flies) of course.
I spent Christmas 1988 in a small village in West Germany. Everything – climate, rains, crisp air, green landscapes, rings from chapels, well decorated shops, and the general cheer gave me a real Christmas feel. Visit to the Berlin wall was the high light of this holiday.
I was in Pakistan for Christmas 1996, and that was a non-event, I felt. A few top-end hotels had Christmas trees and decorations to make their western guests feel home. But, many Pakistani Christians hide their identity by adapting Muslim names for better employment opportunities or to avoid harassment. However, Christmas is a holiday there, not because Jesus was born on that day, but the Father of the Country, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was born on that day. My Pakistani Christian friends consider it the biggest favour Jinnah did for them. Celebrations, if any are muted.
Christmas in Oman is a non-event too, but, Christians celebrate it more overtly than in Pakistan, I think. There are several Churches in Muscat, and prayers go on all day. Divisions among services are based on their nationality and denominations (Despite God's wish to unite us, we as human beings have to find reasons to divide us, isn’t it!). Although it is not a national holiday, most Christians are at liberty to take time off from work to attend masses. Hotels and super markets look festive, again to make their western guests feel welcome, I believe.
Christmas 2011 in Delhi was very much like celebrations in Colombo or elsewhere. For my surprise, it was not a holiday where I have joined to work. This was a small non-government office, and there weren’t any Christians in the staff. I could understand the reasoning, but I still felt that it should have been a holiday. In subsequent years, Christmas was declared a holiday in our office, and I felt good.
We as a family have just finished celebrating Christmas 2015, the Aussie way. My immediate family members, about 30 in total, met at a park near our house for a picnic lunch. Kids had a gala time, adults sat and watched. I tried to stretch my muscles, riding a bike or playing cricket, but it was not easy. Then we all went to our house for dinner. Remaining holidays were busy too, I went to the new-year eve fireworks at Sydney harbor, and for a swim at the Sydney Olympic park, both for the first time, although we are ‘residents’ of Sydney since 1996! The holidays gave me sufficient time to catch-up with my family and recharge myself.
I paid attention to Christmas messages on Australian TV, all without exception appealed Australians to embrace refugees from Middle East. It was very heartening to hear such messages at a time of global turbulence.
I am aware that Christmas is a religious event for Christians, but its universality astounds me. I can’t think of any other religious festival embraced widely as Christmas across the world. I consider myself fortunate to witness Christmas in a range of settings, and all are different.
Merry Christmas & HNY 2016.
As Christmas 1980 approached, a friend of mine of Mexican origin asked me to spend the holidays with him in Monterrey, Mexico. The offer was hard to refuse – he wanted to me to share the cost of gasoline for the 8-hour drive. I took him on. Having lived in Texas since Aug 1980, I was getting accustomed to ‘First World’ living. I was quickly reminded of third world conditions when I crossed the border. I crossed from one country to another by land the very first time, enjoyed homemade Mexican food for a week, went to a Bull-Fight, and partied every day at his friends or family.
For Christmas in 1981, I visited my friends at Penn State; I walked through a meter high snow, and enjoyed my first white Christmas. Visit to an Amish village was the highlight.
Subsequent Christmases in USA came and went. Like everyone else, I took advantage of the sales, although my requirements as a single person weren’t much.
Christmas 1987 had a completely different feel to Christmases I had before. I was in Griffith, NSW, Australia, an inland country town of 15,000. Not much happens here, and the temperature is in forties in December. Aussies are not that religious, but they do enjoy their holidays. There were plenty of barbecues (and flies) of course.
I spent Christmas 1988 in a small village in West Germany. Everything – climate, rains, crisp air, green landscapes, rings from chapels, well decorated shops, and the general cheer gave me a real Christmas feel. Visit to the Berlin wall was the high light of this holiday.
I was in Pakistan for Christmas 1996, and that was a non-event, I felt. A few top-end hotels had Christmas trees and decorations to make their western guests feel home. But, many Pakistani Christians hide their identity by adapting Muslim names for better employment opportunities or to avoid harassment. However, Christmas is a holiday there, not because Jesus was born on that day, but the Father of the Country, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was born on that day. My Pakistani Christian friends consider it the biggest favour Jinnah did for them. Celebrations, if any are muted.
Christmas in Oman is a non-event too, but, Christians celebrate it more overtly than in Pakistan, I think. There are several Churches in Muscat, and prayers go on all day. Divisions among services are based on their nationality and denominations (Despite God's wish to unite us, we as human beings have to find reasons to divide us, isn’t it!). Although it is not a national holiday, most Christians are at liberty to take time off from work to attend masses. Hotels and super markets look festive, again to make their western guests feel welcome, I believe.
Christmas 2011 in Delhi was very much like celebrations in Colombo or elsewhere. For my surprise, it was not a holiday where I have joined to work. This was a small non-government office, and there weren’t any Christians in the staff. I could understand the reasoning, but I still felt that it should have been a holiday. In subsequent years, Christmas was declared a holiday in our office, and I felt good.
We as a family have just finished celebrating Christmas 2015, the Aussie way. My immediate family members, about 30 in total, met at a park near our house for a picnic lunch. Kids had a gala time, adults sat and watched. I tried to stretch my muscles, riding a bike or playing cricket, but it was not easy. Then we all went to our house for dinner. Remaining holidays were busy too, I went to the new-year eve fireworks at Sydney harbor, and for a swim at the Sydney Olympic park, both for the first time, although we are ‘residents’ of Sydney since 1996! The holidays gave me sufficient time to catch-up with my family and recharge myself.
I paid attention to Christmas messages on Australian TV, all without exception appealed Australians to embrace refugees from Middle East. It was very heartening to hear such messages at a time of global turbulence.
I am aware that Christmas is a religious event for Christians, but its universality astounds me. I can’t think of any other religious festival embraced widely as Christmas across the world. I consider myself fortunate to witness Christmas in a range of settings, and all are different.
Merry Christmas & HNY 2016.
