In a global church, we can learn from each other’s rituals and sacred traditions practices as we see how we are connected in Christ. Let’s look at a few examples of how Christians around the world celebrate Christmas. In Mexico, they have a tradition called “Posada,” which means “inn” or “lodging” in Spanish. From December 16th through Christmas Eve, children form processions and go from door to door. They have a special song that they sing, remembering Mary and Joseph’s struggles to find a room for the night in Bethlehem. Each night, the children are turned away from several houses before being welcomed into one of them and offering prayers of thanks. Then they have a party together with food and games and fireworks. On Christmas Eve, they have a procession, a celebration, and then they all go to a midnight church service to welcome baby Jesus into the world. How wonderful that their Christmas festivities are crowned at church!
In Malta, a southern European island, they have a tradition called “the Preaching of the Child.” They select a little boy or a little girl who is between 7 and 10 years old and they preach the sermon at the midnight mass – from memory! I can only imagine how beautiful and touching this is – what courageous children!
In the Congo, they have a musical evening on Christmas Eve with 5 or 6 different choirs and a nativity play that goes from the creation of the world all the way up to the slaughtering of the innocents. They time the play so that Jesus is born as close to midnight as possible and then don’t finish the service until 1 am. In some places, they keep singing and praising until dawn and then start a Christmas Day service at 9 am!
And in India, even though Christians are a small minority of the population (about 2.3%), they make a great public display of their faith. Some southern Indian Christians put oil lamps on their flat roofs to tell friends and neighbors alike that Jesus is the light of the world. Some Northwestern Indian Christians go out every night for a week and sing carols to all who will listen. They travel to neighboring villages to tell people the Christmas story and the good news of Jesus Christ.1
[1] https://www.journeymexico.com/blog/posadas-in-mexico-christmas-tradition
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/mexico
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/malta
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/congo
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/india