Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
A number of foreigners living in Saudi Arabia disclose freely celebrate natal. The celebration of Christian holidays is even more lively in Saudi under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In fact, they had heard that Christmas celebrations in that country had been celebrated in secret.
One of the foreigners is Sydney Turnbull. He hails from the United States, and has been in Saudi Arabia for seven years.
“You hear stories of people smuggling Christmas trees and celebrating in private, but you never see decorations or festivals of colorful lights outside like in America,” he was quoted as saying. Arab News, Friday (24/12).
Over time all that has changed. Christmas ornaments and accessories popped up in shop windows and gift products lined the shelves.
When he first set foot in Saudi, Turnbull admitted that Christmas celebrations were carried out strictly with closed doors.
“This year, in particular, is probably the most common Christmas display,” Turnbull said.
From cafes to restaurants turned winter lands, snowmen adorned with diamonds, decorations and ornaments for sale.
“Starbucks offers (Christmas) holiday-themed cup drinks, the same ones my friends and family have back home,” he said.
He was even more surprised to see Bateel (a local cafe and restaurant) now offering a welcome calendar.
“Yesterday, I received an email from a top restaurant in Riyadh offering a New Year’s Eve celebration. This would have been unheard of a few years ago,” he said.
Turnbull also noticed more expats openly celebrating the Christmas holiday in Saudi Arabia this time around.
“My Saudi colleagues even gave me a Christmas present, a very kind and thoughtful gesture, and just another example of how warm and welcoming the people are,” he said.
He would even have Christmas lunch with Saudi friends and expats who were already considered a second family.
“After that, I’ll probably spend the evening watching a classic Christmas movie with a cup of hot chocolate and family and friends FaceTiming to wish them a Merry Christmas. “
The joy of Christmas was also felt by Enrico Catania, an Italian resident who lives in Jeddah. He said this year’s celebrations would be a little different due to the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.
He will be celebrating Christmas with friends as usual, but will not be seeing family.
The openness that occurs in Saudi celebrations will make Catania feel more at home.
“We always enjoy this with our near and dear ones, but there has been an easing since 2015 in celebrating culture which was barely allowed in the period leading up to 2015,” continued Catania.
Although in general, and in recent times, awareness and acceptance of such cultural customs is increasing, there are still cultural differences, he continued.
The response of a number of Muslims to the celebration of Christmas in Saudi Arabia, read on the next page…
Muslim Family Joins in Celebrating Christmas in Saudi Arabia
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