What’s the month of December for you? Well, in the temperate regions, it’s the season of cold weather & snowstorms topped with short days and long nights whereas to us in the tropics, it’s just another month with gloomy weather and heavy showers. However, it doesn’t deny the fact that it is also the universal season of joy; a season so bright it overpowers the darkness that December brings within, quite literally. 

Endless running of Mariah Carey’s classic, ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, offering of seasonal discounts alongside putting up of beautiful & astounding decorations are few of many Christmas-related activities/ideologies that have with time established themselves as part of a tradition in what used to be solely religious but now more commercialized day of celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Christmas is celebrated worldwide to celebrate Jesus’s birth and His teachings, but different ways of celebration have added color and warmth to this exciting festive season. So, put on your Santa costume and get in Santa’s sleigh as we travel around the globe to find out how creative people have become with their ways of celebrating Christmas. 

In Japan, the land of Anime, although the Christian population stands at about 1%, the nation does celebrate Christmas with a twist. Families gather on the 25^th to have a hearty meal consisting of a bucket full of KFC chicken. How interesting and Japanese sure know how to take things up a notch. Japanese couples also consider Christmas Day to be more romantic than Valentine’s Day so don’t be surprised to see young couples roaming around cities on Christmas Eve when in Japan.

The Philippines: an Asian country with the largest Christian population does do that achievement justice when they celebrate Christmas in the form of Simbang Gabi. Simbang Gabi is a series of nine masses held daily from the 16^th to the 24^th of December and the Pinoys believe if they attend all nine, their wishes will come true along with God’s abundant blessings. That’s some devotion right there!

In Britain, they do it the British way. What better way to celebrate Christmas than to surprise your loved ones with a Christmas cracker? For those who don’t know, a cracker is a festive table decoration that makes a popping sound when pulled open. The prize accompanied by a paper hat and piece of paper with a joke/motto/riddle written on it is covered in a segmented cardboard tube wrapped with a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. Fun and exciting for sure!

Home to the Amazon: Brazil has its tropical way of having some Christmas fun. Brazilians consider Christmas Eve a bigger deal than the Christmas day itself.  They would attend midnight masses, exchange gifts, and gather around the table for a delicious family dinner. It’s all about partying and socializing on Christmas Eve. Christmas day is reserved for outside activities, mainly barbeque and this is no surprise since Christmas and summer go hand in hand for the Brazilians. 

The Safari capital of the world has added its flair to Christmas. Kenyans consider Christmas dinner as an integral part of celebration and grilled meat often stars as the main dish. Kenyans don’t go easy on decorations either. Churches and houses are often decorated with colorful garlands, balloons, and flowers. Cypress trees are traditionally used and splendidly decorated as Christmas trees. How innovative? 

Whether you’re from the tropics, savannahs or snow-covered temperate zones doesn’t matter when it comes to Christmas. You can even be a non-Christian and get into the Christmas feels by having freshly baked homemade cookies with a cup of hot chocolate to warm yourself up to watch Christmas classics on TV/Netflix. Look how well the people have adjusted, adapted, and found ways to celebrate Christmas with their own twists and additions just like how the Lord has preached.

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. [Phillippians 4:11-13]

Christmas is not just about Christmas trees, nativity scenes, Christmas dinner, and gift opening, it’s so much more. Ways of celebrations may be poles apart but what remains common in all of these is the sense of unity, happiness, and warmth surrounding and that should always back the true meaning of Christmas. 

Written by: Rtr. Inuri Hettiarachchi

Graphic design by: Rtr. Nisal Dilmith