Christmas in Brunei, a reader’s account

The St Andrews Church in the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Christians in the oil-rich state celebrated Christmas today amid restrictions on Muslims from celebrating it. – Pic by Harris Nasril, December 25, 2015.It was reported 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 affected the minority Christians in this tiny oil-rich country.

For the record, Muslims form 67% of the population, 13% are Buddhist, and another 10% Christian.

The remaining 10% subscribe to various religions, including indigenous religions.

I began my journey to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption at the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei.

It is the biggest church in Brunei, in front of which there is another church painted in blue, St Andrews Church.

When I reached there about 8.30am, the place was packed.

Cars were parked at both sides of the road. There were a few stalls along the road near the entrance of the church selling clothes, drinks and foods.

The Christmas mass gets underway inside the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, the biggest church in Brunei, this morning. – Pic by Harris Nasril, December 25, 2015.Outside the church, I asked a woman if Christmas celebrations in Brunei were banned.

She told me the ban was only for Muslims and in public spaces, but in churches and in private properties, they could celebrate as usual.

Well, that explains a lot why I did not see Christmas trees in shopping complexes.

I walked curiously to the church compound. It was the first time I got inside a church.

Before the entrance to the hall, there were rows of seats for people who could not manage to enter the main hall.

On the right, there was a giant Christmas tree decoration, although it did not look like a tree.

You can see it in the picture (left). People were taking pictures and selfies at this tree, with the slogan "Peace on Earth" behind it.

Further back, on the left, a statue of Mary in a white dress, with both arms wide open, and a blue cloth hanging from her shoulder.

At the door to the main hall, there was a bowl of water, which I guess was the "holy water".

People touched the water a little using their hands, crossing their bodies before entering the main hall.

At 10am, in the main hall, the mass started. The hall was packed.

Christians of different nationalities at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan this morning. – Pic by Harris Nasril, December 25, 2015.I saw various types of people: Chinese, Europeans, Filipinos, Indonesians and few Indians.

They started to sing songs with a back-up choir with piano and guitar sitting on the first floor.

The priest, using a walking stick, entered the main door accompanied by eight other priests before him, holding the Bible.

A pretty Chinese lady then put the book at the centre of the table, while the priest took his seat in front of the attendees.

Before he sat down, he gave his walking stick to a child in white robe.

After a few songs, about three people took turns reading a piece from the Bible for a few minutes. The last was by the priest himself, leading a mass for about 30 minutes.

At 11am, the ritual came to an end, and there were people collecting donation.

This is my account of how Christians celebrate Christmas in Brunei despite the "banning".

I hope it clears some air among those who think Christmas was totally banned in Brunei.

The ban was only meant for Muslims and in public spaces, but the celebrations took place as usual. – December 25, 2015.

* Harris Nasril reads The Malaysian Insider.