Christmas In Indonesia

Celebrating Christmas in Indonesia might not be as western and there's never a white Christmas in this country being in a tropical climate. However, you can transform your Christmas the way Indonesians' celebrate them. Yes, they do celebrate Christmas despite the predominant Moslem culture and traditions. While advent is not observed in the mosques or Christian churches, the holiday is a time where people prepare activities for the Christmas day.

These activities are typical in the Batak region in the northern part of Sumatra:

The holiday season unites all Christians where Christmas ceremonies are observed in their respective villages whether in churches or in open stages. A reenactment of the nativity is often demonstrated together with Christmas songs, Bible reading in many languages, and savoring the delectable Christmas cakes. The cakes may be homemade or bought from stores.

Within churches, special Christmas programs are held and participated by numerous individuals like the youth, mothers, fathers, Sunday school children, and members of Church councils. These activities happen every night for a week before the 24th of December. Then, at the week's end a party is thrown and meals (usually rice and pork called "sangsang") are served in the churches.

Christmas in Indonesia is also a time for heightened alert by the police force in the urban areas due to the successive attacks of the Muslim extremists Jemaah Islamiyah during the Christmas season. Terroristic attacks has been waged began since December 2000 where the group greeted Christmas Eve with coordinated blasts. In 2002, two nightclub bombings shook Bali Island. The J.W. Marriot Hotel was attacked in 2003. The Australian Embassy also suffered a tragic fate when it was bombed in 2004 while the attacks in Bali returned in 2005, which hit a restaurant.

Christmas in Indonesia is celebrated in most of the islands in the archipelago, although lacking in western aspects. Still, most westerners especially the expatriates manage to pull through the season with as much delight and with less commercialization. You can still enjoy your Christmas trees using plastic versions available in major western shopping centers or opt for tropical pines.

And Christmas in Indonesia would not be complete without the turkey. That's right. Turkeys are sold in western stores although you might need to jump to about four stores to get all the ingredients needed since it's seldom for one store to have them all so skip the last minute shopping and get things ready ahead. It's a great experience to spend a tropical Christmas in Indonesia. You just need to stretch you imagination and go surfing instead of skiing.