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Has Christmas gone beyond Christian values?

 

Christmas Day is supposed to be a period of quiet reflection—when Christians gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in prayer and food parties.

Christians have used the period to renew their commitment to their faith by, among others, performing philanthropic activities such as cheering the sick and the elderly.

But things have changed.

Hedonism has become the byword for modern-day Christmas celebrations. Street carnivals, beer parties, shopping promotions and workplaces parties, you name it, it’s there—few, if any, of which have a remote resemblance to Christian values.

Mbolembole: We should not lose our Christian values as we celebrate Christmas
Mbolembole: We should not lose our Christian values as we celebrate Christmas

While some people believe these make Christmas more appealing, the police are always on alert as this period is usually associated with an upsurge in criminal activities such as robbery, rape and, of course, road traffic accidents mostly due to drunken driving.

Stella Sibanda, a resident of Chibanja in Mzuzu, sees nothing wrong in the way people celebrate Christmas.

“People work very hard in their various endeavours the whole year and Christmas gives them an opportunity to let off steam. I don’t see any problem with how the festivity is celebrated. It offers a chance for people to buy things cheaper. At the same time, the economy also benefits as people spend a little bit more than they normally do,” Sibanda said.

But Stephen Mawira, a resident of Chemusa in Blantyre, feels modern day Christmas celebrations in Malawi have been modified to foreign standards.

“The Malawian way of celebrating Christmas was attending a church service in the morning and having small parties in the neighbourhood with friends and relatives. But current trends show a deviation from that tradition where we see people travelling, spending nights out, an increase of shopping volumes and drunken revelries,” he says.

Mawira believes a lot of people are confused about the meaning of Christmas and how they can celebrate it.

“Christmas is a Christian festival and it is supposed to be celebrated in that context. But with the current trends, this period has become a dangerous time for many people, including those who don’t put their lives in harm’s way,” he observes.

Mawira’s sentiments are supported by alerts from police who release safety tips warning of a rise in crime and road traffic carnages.

But another Blantyre resident Frank Chiyepa blames the State for all that is bad about Christmas because of the status it is accorded.

“While Christmas is supposed to be a Christian celebration, we should always be aware that it is declared a public holiday by the State. This means anyone can do whatever they want. As such, Christmas has lost its meaning as the reflection and celebration of God’s given salvation to mankind. Hence, not many people can even explain what they are celebrating during Christmas,” states Chiyepa.

Chiyepa’s point of view on the decadence of Christmas finds support from some members of the clergy such as Apostle Enesia Chitheka of Hope of Glory Ministries.

“Christmas was originally meant for people of the world to remember the great and immeasurable love that has been bestowed upon the human race; the gift of Christ Jesus. This is the time God reveals himself to people that he loves and this is a holy kind of love which is called ‘agape love’ or unconditional love. But all this definition has lost its significance as people are only concentrating on enjoyment, which unfortunately goes against the grain of God’s will,” she says.

On a different note, however, Reverend Masauko Mbolembole of St. Michael and All Angels CCAP congregation in Blantyre, paints a different picture in terms of the understanding of people towards the meaning of Christmas.

“I would say that many people understand what Christmas stands for, that it is not a mere celebration. But the problem comes from the fact that people define celebrations differently. As Presbyterians, for example, we believe in making ourselves presentable when approaching our king, Jesus Christ. This augurs well with the traditional way of celebrating Christmas where people strive to look presentable.

“But as a church, our stand is that while we celebrate Christmas we should not lose our Christian values, hence the services that we conduct over Christmas,” he says.

On the other hand, Bishop Brighton Malasa of the Anglican Diocese of Upper Shire warns of careless spending during the festive period.

“It is unfortunate that Christmas over the years has become just like any other holiday. It is not meant to be a merry-making holiday as it is being celebrated today. People spend lots of money in drinking, good food, clothing, travelling and all that the world is offering. I guess the devil is also clever that he capitalises on the Christian celebration so that people do not get the necessary meaning of Christmas,” laments Malasa.

The cleric advises: “We should stick to what the church teaches. We should be Christ-like as we claim by confessing with our conduct that we are Christians.”n

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