I wasn’t sure what to expect of Christmas this year. Since Cambodia is almost completely Buddhist, I thought I may not see any signs of it at all. However, Cambodians love to celebrate, so they’ve added Christmas to their list of 42 holidays. There are decorations on most store fronts as well as around some of the monuments. We have been told that most Cambodians think of Christmas as a western New Year’s celebration (not to worry, they celebrate New Year’s on January 1st, Chinese New Year in February, and Khmer New Year in April). If gifts are exchanged at Christmas, it is only between boyfriends and girlfriends and sometimes husbands and wives. We’ve had to keep reminding ourselves it’s Christmastime since it’s consistently in the 80’s or higher each day, so we've been listening to Christmas music. Some of our favorite Christmas tunes this year are I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas and Baby, It’s Hot Outside.We recently read the following in our daily devotional, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals:
Nicholas of Myra (Fourth Century)
The original “Old Saint Nick” who inspired the tradition of Santa Claus, Nicholas was a bishop of Myra in fourth-century Turkey. Little is known about his life except that he entrusted himself to Jesus at an early age and, when his parents died, gave all of their possessions to the poor. While serving as bishop, Nicholas learned of three girls who were going to be sold into slavery by their father. Moved to use the church’s wealth to ransom the lives of these little ones, he tossed three bags of gold through the family’s window. We recall this ancient Christmas gift, even as we remember that 1.2 million children are trafficked each year in the global sex trade today.
Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth,
Katy
