Christmas celebration and solidarity for Vietnam’s Christians, Buddhists and non-religious
People carry out acts of love and mutual help during the pandemic. In Nghê An province, some party officials offer gifts to the poorest families. For a Buddhist, works of charity reveal the spirit of the Vietnamese. Children help with the decorations.
Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) – Vietnamese Christians are preparing to celebrate Christmas with, in the background, the novel coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economy and the lives of families.
Despite this situation, Christmas is a time of community sharing and a propitious occasion for acts of love, solidarity and mutual help towards the needy, drawing in believers of other religions attracted by the atmosphere and symbols of the celebration.
Vietnam has 2,738 parishes, most of which have been engaged in social outreach activities associated with the holiday season, such as visits to the poor and the sick, even in the most remote areas.
Such acts attract the whole community. This is the case in Bến Lức district, Diocese of Mỹ Tho (Long An province). Here Catholics along with Protestants, Buddhists and non-religious people have set up a nativity scene and Christmas decorations.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the festive atmosphere is also visible everywhere, including churchyards cleaned and decorated with Christmas trees and nativity scenes, as well as bright colour lights.
The faithful – especially children and young people – spend time decorating their homes in an atmosphere of joy and happiness, waiting for Christmas Eve and the day of celebration.
In some locations, preparations and the Christmas spirit also involve local government officials, who are associated to the Vietnamese Communist Party, who visit the poorest families and bring small gifts.
In Nghĩa Đàn district (Nghê An province), members of the local People's Committee visited the local parish, and met with its priests and the needy, bringing gifts for Christmas.
“A few days ago,” said Mr Sáu, a Buddhist farmer, speaking to AsiaNews, “some members of the Bình Sơn parish, in the archdiocese of the former Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) asked me to make a small nativity scene in the garden, among the bonsai plants. I accepted the request with joy, because this is the 'Bethlehem of God’ (Đức Chúa mà). This is why there is a large and beautiful Bethlehem grotto in my garden now.“
Nativity scenes and symbols of the festivity also embellish the streets and squares of Lương Hòa Ha parish, Diocese of Mỹ Tho, on the Mekong Delta; here, the faithful prepare themselves for the birth of the Lord through confession and praying together.
“In Vietnamese culture, all charitable activities reveal the spirit of mutual love and knowing how to live in common,” said Ms Ngoc Nhung, Buddhist social worker in Ho Chi Minh City
For everyone, not just Christians, Christmas represents an opportunity to unite and share acts of mutual solidarity.
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30/11/2021 15:48
