Christmas in Hanoi is familiar, but also strange.
Believe it or not, it was the Vietnamese version of Wham’s Last Christmas that first got me into the yuletide spirit this year.
There I was, sitting in a hotel lobby with my sister who was visiting, and we both looked at each other wide-eyed. We were watching dozens of parents and their excited children, milling around a Styrofoam Santa’s workshop, posing with his elves.
The wintry ambience was created courtesy of snow-in-a-can and wispy white cotton. We simply couldn’t resist joining in the chorus – in English, of course.
Christians make up 8% of the population, and Christmas is one of the four important festivals in the Vietnamese calendar – the others being the Buddha’s birthday, Tet (or the Lunar New Year) and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
However, Christmas seems to be a big deal. Those who have witnessed celebrations in the more Catholic Ho Chi Minh City claim that the Hanoi version pales in comparison. I personally think it’s remarkable how many non-Christians celebrate the season with their Christian countrymen.
It says more than some countries that constantly trumpet their supposed religious tolerance, yet behave otherwise.
Believe it or not, it was the Vietnamese version of Wham’s Last Christmas that first got me into the yuletide spirit this year.
There I was, sitting in a hotel lobby with my sister who was visiting, and we both looked at each other wide-eyed. We were watching dozens of parents and their excited children, milling around a Styrofoam Santa’s workshop, posing with his elves.
The wintry ambience was created courtesy of snow-in-a-can and wispy white cotton. We simply couldn’t resist joining in the chorus – in English, of course.
Christians make up 8% of the population, and Christmas is one of the four important festivals in the Vietnamese calendar – the others being the Buddha’s birthday, Tet (or the Lunar New Year) and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
However, Christmas seems to be a big deal. Those who have witnessed celebrations in the more Catholic Ho Chi Minh City claim that the Hanoi version pales in comparison. I personally think it’s remarkable how many non-Christians celebrate the season with their Christian countrymen.
It says more than some countries that constantly trumpet their supposed religious tolerance, yet behave otherwise.
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