Christmas Celebration in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Harris Nasril

I heard news that Christmas celebrations were banned in Brunei. So I went to the biggest church in Brunei, about 15 minutes from my place, to see how the ban affects the minority Christians in this tiny oil rich country.

For the record, 67% of the population in Brunei is Islam while 13% of the population is Buddhist and another 10% is Christian. The remaining 10% subscribes to various religions, including indigenous religions.

I began my journey to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption which is situated at the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei. It is the biggest church in Brunei. In front of the church there is another church painted in blue, St Andrews Church. When I reached the destination around 8.30am, the place was jam packed. Cars were parked at both sides of the road. There were a few stalls erected along the road near the entrance of the church selling clothes, drinks and food.

I had a conversation with one lady outside the church. I told her my thoughts, that Christmas celebrations in Brunei is banned? She told me the ban only applies to Muslims and public spaces; whereas in churches and in private property, they can celebrate as usual. Well, that explained why I did not see any Christmas trees in the shopping complex.

I walked curiously to the church compound. This is the first time I went into a church. Before the entrance to the hall, there were rows of seats for the people who did not manage to enter the main hall. On the right, they put a giant Christmas tree decoration, but it does not look like a tree though. You can see in the picture. Lots of people taking pictures and selfies at this tree, behind the tree on the right was the slogan “Peace On Earth”. Further back on the left, there was a statue of Mary with both arms open wide in a white dress and a blue cloth hanging from her shoulder.

At the door to the main hall, there was a bowl of water, which i guess it is the ‘holy water’. People will touch a little bit of the water using their hand, and then they make the gesture of a cross on their body before entering the main hall.

In the main hall at 10 am, the mass started. It was full. I can see various types of people inside it, Chinese, Europeans, Filipinos, Indonesians and a few Indians. They started to sing a few songs with a backup choir with piano and guitar sitting on the first floor. The priest with a walking stick entered the main door accompanied by 8 other priests before him holding the Bible. A beautiful Chinese lady then put the book at the centre of the table, while the priest took his seat in front of the hall. Before he sat down, he gave his walking stick to one child in white robes.

After singing a few songs, about 3 people took turns at the pedestal to read a piece from the Bible for a few minutes. The last one was the priest himself, who said mass for about 30 minutes.

At 11am, the ritual finished and I saw a few people holding a stick with a white cloth at the end of it to collect donations.

This is my account of how Christians celebrated Christmas in Brunei despite the banning. I hope it clears the air of those who think Christmas was totally banned in Brunei. The ban was only meant for Muslims and public spaces. In churches and private property, celebrations were happening as usual.

-Harris Nasril, 5.25pm 25 Dec 2015–