As the air gets chillier and Santa’s getting ready to descend all chimneys, most Western families have placed on a table some biscuits and a glass of milk for him. But is the whole world prepared for the happiness that Father Christmas brings, or can it be that some are not waiting for him at all?
The thought of Christmas lights being off somewhere around the world does sound unbelievable, however this festivity is not popular in several countries. An example may be the non-Christian nation of Qatar which does not even recognize Christmas as a public holiday. If you want to get into the Christmassy mood at all costs, you can go to hotels such as the Ritz Carlton which serves an annual Christmas Eve buffet and have a great feast without going through the trouble of cooking it yourself. Cities like Istanbul, in Turkey, will have a few decorations on, but do not expect the locals to have the same excitement as you. Truth is that most of the Turkish population does not care about the buzz around Christmastime, so do not bother explaining yourself, you will end up looking nothing but a weirdo. Surely, it can be off-putting and saddening for a person that has been anxiously waiting for December to see such unbothered faces, nevertheless there is always the opportunity of taking a trip to the South-eastern area of Turkey where Turkish Assyrians organize a small Christmas feast called “Eeda Zura”.
Again, you might be shocked to discover that in Japan the holiday holds a completely different concept from the one Westerners have, which is on Christmas being a period to spend with the family. Japanese people see the festivity as a way through which couples can dedicate evenings to being together and enjoy romantic dinners. Christmastime in Japan is almost like a doppelgänger of Valentine’s Day.
Indeed, Christmas is not a global holiday as the euphoria around it suggests. Certain countries would rather sleep away the 25th of December than wait for a white bearded man to suddenly jump out from their chimneys. When we are jingling around the globe, let us bear in mind that not all Christmas lights will turn on at our singing. There might be no lights at all.
By Christiana Opoku A.
