Christians publicly celebrated Christmas in the streets of the Myanmar city of Yangon for the first time in 50 years, according to a report from Agenzia Fides.
The news service said that Catholic and Protestant Christians – whose celebrations are usually confined within church walls – held liturgies, feasts and processions in the city between 23rd and 25th December with the authorisation of government authorities.
Fides said the festival had the explicit intention of honouring Pope Francis’ visit to Myanmar last November and “to show solidarity with Christians in Myanmar and in the world”.
A Christian woman Naw Nilar San, of the Baptist Church, was quoted as saying that “in 50 years I have never experienced this kind of Christmas feast, many Christian singers sang Christmas hymns, and Christians offered food and drink to the people of Yangon, without any discrimination, bringing everyone a greeting and a wish for peace”.
“This year is very significant in the history of Burma because Christians were allowed to celebrate Christmas publicly with the people of the city,” added Catholic priest, Fr Thet Tin. “This Christmas festival in the city was intended to promote social cohesion, interreligious understanding and friendship among citizens.”
About three million of Myanmar’s 51.4 million people are Christian according to a 2014 census.
