In Western countries where celebration of Christmas season starts almost immediately after the leaves are on the ground and the temperature falling to single digits. Christmas spirit is felt everywhere you go, inside the churches, and from the stores to workplaces. Even the radio stations are filled with soul lifting Christmas music.
Christmas celebration in Vietnam, where Catholic population is ranked second in Asia, is quite different. It lasts only for a couple of hours on Christmas Eve. The next morning, everything returns to normal with businesses open while students being back to school for exams as required by the school officials.
December 25th, by current Vietnamese government standard, is not a national holiday. As a matter of fact, people are often purposely burdened with heavier than usual workloads on that day. Students in particular are mandated to show up at school for taking exams on Christmas Day. State employees at factories and government offices have to “emulate in productive labour” to celebrate the establishment day of the Vietnam People's Army.
Christmas celebration in Vietnam used to be similar as in Western countries. A drastic change was made after the communist takeover of the North in 1954 and of the South in 1975, when Catholics were relegated to celebrating Jesus’ birthday in privacy.
With the adoption of open market economy in 1990s, Vietnam has gradually become warming up to western influences and traditions. Christmas in Vietnam, thus, has gradually came back triumphantly as one of the most celebrated festivals in Vietnam, welcomed by both Christians and non Christians alike, especially in a commercial way, thanks in good part to the marketing prowess of super stores.
Christmas has been more or less hyped as being “an occasion for gifts exchanging”. Days before Christmas, people line up at Metro, Big C, Fivimart Super Stores or smaller ones alongside streets such as Lương Văn Can, Hàng Cân, Hàng Lược, Hàng Mã in Hanoi, or Lê Lợi, Lê Thánh Tôn, Hai Bà Trưng, Võ Thị Sáu in Ho Chi Minh city to orders gifts for their children, or more importantly, for their bosses’ children. These gifts would then be delivered to these lucky children on Christmas Eve from 7pm to mid-night by tens of thousands young people dressed in Santa Claus outfits.
In order to deliver the gifts before mid-night, these “Santa Claus” need to plan strategies to find their way through the crowded traffic when people from all walks of life flock to the streets. Last year, local media reported another challenge awaiting these “Ông Già Noel” (the Vietnamese version of Santa Claus): hundreds of them had to queue to deliver gifts at the doors of officials who were “so much loved and admired” by their subordinates.
Christmas presents to bosses’ children tend to be things which are “cute”, imported, slightly but not so painfully expensive. Hence, quite a lot of people can afford as a discreet bribery that may get them a better chance for their promotion in return. Modest Christmas presents may cost 50 USD - a month's salary of an average worker - while more expensive ones may include family tickets for Christmas Reveillon Dinners at Sheraton, Sofitel Plaza, Horizon, Melia, Daewoo, and Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake Restaurants which typically costs 80 USD per adult and 65 USD per children.
On the Christmas Eve, people flock to many open stages in major cities for free concerts, theatre, musicals, and shows. These festive events often have nothing to deal with Christmas. The main theme of these events is the Establishment Day (22nd December) of the Red Vietnam People's Army.
Christians in Vietnam celebrate Christmas more quietly yet more meaningful. Christmas carol performances are held inside churches days before. The “Midnight” Masses are typically celebrated at no later than 9 PM to conclude at no later than 10PM due to security reasons. Anyway, people have to work on the Christmas Day. After attending Christmas Eve Mass, Christians return home to have Christmas dinner with their families. In rural areas, where people are dirt poor, parishes often organize Christmas Reveillon Dinners for the needy after "Midnight" Mass.
Prior and on Christmas Day, dioceses throughout the country have special programs to help people with disadvantages to celebrate Christmas and New Year with dignity.
Typical is an innovative project organized by one of the most outspoken Redemtorist against government's mistreatment of its citizens, and a pro life hero, Fr Joseph Le Quang Uy. Catholic volunteers in Saigon called Disciples of Jesus would take to the street in pairs searching for homeless individuals to deliver small gifts of necessities such as rice, toiletries, detergent, cookies, small cash... giving them some food to stomach and warmth to their hearts. This operation so far has been praised by many as the most humane and effective way to portray what the true Christmas' meaning is all about.
In addition, Saigon Archdiocese organizes a special Mass for people with disabilities on every Christmas Day during which Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man also distributes Christmas gift to them.
On Dec 19, the archdiocese organized a fun-fair for children with disabilities and orphans. Each child was offered 25,000 VND to shop at the fair. Some even returned home with more gifts that they won in various games and competitions.
In the central of the country, in the archdiocese of Hue, sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross community since the First Sunday of Advent have invited the poor, the elderly, and people with disabilities to come to their convent to share a meal and to visit the nativity scene.
Far in the North, on Dec. 20, 2009, Bishop Joseph Nguyen Chi Linh of Thanh Hoa led a delegation of 100 priests, religious, and faithful to visit the patients at Cam Thuy Leprosarium, where they got straight to the business of cleaning and cheering up scores of patients with their fun filled stories. More than 100 portions of gifts were also distributed during this visit.
The next day, the prelate met with Hmong children to hand them Christmas gifts.
With the adoption of open market economy, Christmas is gradually regaining its glory in Vietnam yet there are still obstacles. Bans on celebrating Mass, even on Christmas and Easter, in numerous mountainous villages in the Central High Lands and North of Vietnam are still in effect. Christian faithful are forced to meet secretly in private homes and basements. The authorities say that there are no Catholics in these villages, so there is no reason for priests to be there.
Last year, Bishop Michael Hoang Duc Oanh of Kontum, condemned another obstacle which he called “a form of governmental prejudice against Christian school children in the name of education” as they are required to be present in class on one of the most important religious holiday: Christmas Day. Any student being absent in class that day can be subject to disciplinary action. Also, following a hostile policy against Christians, most public schools of all levels schedule for their students to take exam on Christmas day while allowing them to stay home for several weeks to celebrate Lunar New Year festival.
After a series of conflicts with the archdiocese of Hue on land issues during September and October this year, as a gesture of reconciliation, on Nov. 19, Ngo Hoa, deputy chairman of Thua Thien province, where the archdiocese is located, signed a decree prohibiting principals of public school in the area to schedule exams on the Christmas Day. Unfortunately, the decree is only effective in the province. In other areas, most students still have to sit for their exams on the day.
With the exception of Thua Thien, Vietnamese children in the rest of the country are somewhat abused for one of the most prejudiced law against Christianity in the world. Their Christmas is still stolen by the Grinch every year.
Christmas celebration in Vietnam, where Catholic population is ranked second in Asia, is quite different. It lasts only for a couple of hours on Christmas Eve. The next morning, everything returns to normal with businesses open while students being back to school for exams as required by the school officials.
December 25th, by current Vietnamese government standard, is not a national holiday. As a matter of fact, people are often purposely burdened with heavier than usual workloads on that day. Students in particular are mandated to show up at school for taking exams on Christmas Day. State employees at factories and government offices have to “emulate in productive labour” to celebrate the establishment day of the Vietnam People's Army.
Christmas celebration in Vietnam used to be similar as in Western countries. A drastic change was made after the communist takeover of the North in 1954 and of the South in 1975, when Catholics were relegated to celebrating Jesus’ birthday in privacy.
With the adoption of open market economy in 1990s, Vietnam has gradually become warming up to western influences and traditions. Christmas in Vietnam, thus, has gradually came back triumphantly as one of the most celebrated festivals in Vietnam, welcomed by both Christians and non Christians alike, especially in a commercial way, thanks in good part to the marketing prowess of super stores.
Christmas has been more or less hyped as being “an occasion for gifts exchanging”. Days before Christmas, people line up at Metro, Big C, Fivimart Super Stores or smaller ones alongside streets such as Lương Văn Can, Hàng Cân, Hàng Lược, Hàng Mã in Hanoi, or Lê Lợi, Lê Thánh Tôn, Hai Bà Trưng, Võ Thị Sáu in Ho Chi Minh city to orders gifts for their children, or more importantly, for their bosses’ children. These gifts would then be delivered to these lucky children on Christmas Eve from 7pm to mid-night by tens of thousands young people dressed in Santa Claus outfits.
In order to deliver the gifts before mid-night, these “Santa Claus” need to plan strategies to find their way through the crowded traffic when people from all walks of life flock to the streets. Last year, local media reported another challenge awaiting these “Ông Già Noel” (the Vietnamese version of Santa Claus): hundreds of them had to queue to deliver gifts at the doors of officials who were “so much loved and admired” by their subordinates.
Christmas presents to bosses’ children tend to be things which are “cute”, imported, slightly but not so painfully expensive. Hence, quite a lot of people can afford as a discreet bribery that may get them a better chance for their promotion in return. Modest Christmas presents may cost 50 USD - a month's salary of an average worker - while more expensive ones may include family tickets for Christmas Reveillon Dinners at Sheraton, Sofitel Plaza, Horizon, Melia, Daewoo, and Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake Restaurants which typically costs 80 USD per adult and 65 USD per children.
On the Christmas Eve, people flock to many open stages in major cities for free concerts, theatre, musicals, and shows. These festive events often have nothing to deal with Christmas. The main theme of these events is the Establishment Day (22nd December) of the Red Vietnam People's Army.
Christians in Vietnam celebrate Christmas more quietly yet more meaningful. Christmas carol performances are held inside churches days before. The “Midnight” Masses are typically celebrated at no later than 9 PM to conclude at no later than 10PM due to security reasons. Anyway, people have to work on the Christmas Day. After attending Christmas Eve Mass, Christians return home to have Christmas dinner with their families. In rural areas, where people are dirt poor, parishes often organize Christmas Reveillon Dinners for the needy after "Midnight" Mass.
Prior and on Christmas Day, dioceses throughout the country have special programs to help people with disadvantages to celebrate Christmas and New Year with dignity.
Typical is an innovative project organized by one of the most outspoken Redemtorist against government's mistreatment of its citizens, and a pro life hero, Fr Joseph Le Quang Uy. Catholic volunteers in Saigon called Disciples of Jesus would take to the street in pairs searching for homeless individuals to deliver small gifts of necessities such as rice, toiletries, detergent, cookies, small cash... giving them some food to stomach and warmth to their hearts. This operation so far has been praised by many as the most humane and effective way to portray what the true Christmas' meaning is all about.
In addition, Saigon Archdiocese organizes a special Mass for people with disabilities on every Christmas Day during which Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man also distributes Christmas gift to them.
On Dec 19, the archdiocese organized a fun-fair for children with disabilities and orphans. Each child was offered 25,000 VND to shop at the fair. Some even returned home with more gifts that they won in various games and competitions.
In the central of the country, in the archdiocese of Hue, sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross community since the First Sunday of Advent have invited the poor, the elderly, and people with disabilities to come to their convent to share a meal and to visit the nativity scene.
Far in the North, on Dec. 20, 2009, Bishop Joseph Nguyen Chi Linh of Thanh Hoa led a delegation of 100 priests, religious, and faithful to visit the patients at Cam Thuy Leprosarium, where they got straight to the business of cleaning and cheering up scores of patients with their fun filled stories. More than 100 portions of gifts were also distributed during this visit.
The next day, the prelate met with Hmong children to hand them Christmas gifts.
With the adoption of open market economy, Christmas is gradually regaining its glory in Vietnam yet there are still obstacles. Bans on celebrating Mass, even on Christmas and Easter, in numerous mountainous villages in the Central High Lands and North of Vietnam are still in effect. Christian faithful are forced to meet secretly in private homes and basements. The authorities say that there are no Catholics in these villages, so there is no reason for priests to be there.
Last year, Bishop Michael Hoang Duc Oanh of Kontum, condemned another obstacle which he called “a form of governmental prejudice against Christian school children in the name of education” as they are required to be present in class on one of the most important religious holiday: Christmas Day. Any student being absent in class that day can be subject to disciplinary action. Also, following a hostile policy against Christians, most public schools of all levels schedule for their students to take exam on Christmas day while allowing them to stay home for several weeks to celebrate Lunar New Year festival.
After a series of conflicts with the archdiocese of Hue on land issues during September and October this year, as a gesture of reconciliation, on Nov. 19, Ngo Hoa, deputy chairman of Thua Thien province, where the archdiocese is located, signed a decree prohibiting principals of public school in the area to schedule exams on the Christmas Day. Unfortunately, the decree is only effective in the province. In other areas, most students still have to sit for their exams on the day.
With the exception of Thua Thien, Vietnamese children in the rest of the country are somewhat abused for one of the most prejudiced law against Christianity in the world. Their Christmas is still stolen by the Grinch every year.