Guyanese Christmas....

First published in the Weekender in 2005

How was your Christmas? Did you spend a lot of money? Did you have a good Christmas? How much Christ was in your Christmas? Are you like me, a non-Christian who enjoys Christmas as much as any other Guyanese?

Many people have 'come home' for this thing called a Guyanese Christmas, probably the closest thing we have to a national festival which encompasses a diverse set of traditions and practices which encompass lack of interest, religious devotion and decadent consumption and celebration which are as far removed from Christ as I am. Some people have talked about the distancing of Christ from Christmas. There are many who believe in Christ and who do not celebrate Christmas as the time of His birth. Only one of the about twenty cards which encouraged me to have a Merry Christmas actually referred to Christ as the reason I should. It is said that the celebration of Christmas as we know it has 'pagan' origins. There is probably more liquor shared around this time in Guyana than Bibles. A Muslim friend of mine told me that she felt that a non-Hindu lighting a diya at Divali would be disrespecting Hinduism, because they do not understand the context of the diya. I disagreed, because I am guilty of observing and participating in a variety of practices around this time of the year even though I am Hindu – gingerbeer, buying bora almost at the price of gold, fussing over Christmas tree and ogling the lights, sharing gifts, going to hear at least the Woodside Christmas Concert and a couple of other things which might have had pagan origins, but which in our Guyanese context seem to make life for many Guyanese a bit more bearable. For a few days too, most of us share this common goal to make the few days enjoyable, home look nice, make things different for our friends and families and sometimes total strangers (thanks to the many people who spend time on charitable work). Rather than worry about Mashramani as a national festival, wouldn't it be a better project to examine how we are at this time of the year, and find a way in which we could keep that same spirit of sharing (except the egg sellers), and being able to use our diversity of differences to celebrate a common purpose of making life a bit better all the time instead of only at this time? The 2006 election period is looming, and this evening (Christmas Eve), Georgetown's noisy bustle with the open shops, chaotic traffic and fearless wandering will be a contrast to what has happened on recent Elections Days. Guyana's contradictions include this season's generally good spirits and the bleakness of the political mayhem which we will indulge in with almost equal passion within the few months. Even if we choose not to put the Christ back in Christmas, let us remember that Christ for many is associated with peace and a struggle against unrighteousness. Whilst Christ's teachings have been used by many to further divisive and destructive agendas, fortunately there are many people whose faith have made them decent people and this time, it is also a good time to celebrate their goodness, and to remember the goodness of the other people who seek to make life better for all of us.