By Chidi Emmanuel

KUWAIT: It was a glorious moment at the Catholic Church and National Evangelical Church in Kuwait as tens of thousands of Kuwaiti residents prayed in churches on Christmas Day (25th December). Christmas services were held in churches across Kuwait on Sunday and Saturday evening (Christmas Eve). Vigil mass and carols were organized all through the week.

Prayers were delivered in several languages including English, Arabic, Urdu, Tagalog, Tamil etc to cater for the diverse expatriate population in Kuwait. Some buildings lit up for Christmas with malls showcasing dazzling Christmas trees and lighting. Social media is also abuzz with greetings, Christmas wishes and carols.

Kuwaiti pastor Emmanuel Ghareeb and priests pose for a photo as Christians celebrate Christmas in Kuwait City.

Christian worshippers attend a Christmas morning service at the Catholic’s Holy Family Church in Kuwait City on December 25, 2022.

"We are happy to be alive today to celebrate the birth of Christ. It was horrible last year and two years ago. COVID-19 brought the entire world to a standstill and we were not able to mark Christmas. Merry Christmas to you all", Esther Davis, an expatriate teacher told Kuwait Times as she celebrated with her friends and family in Kuwait City.

Christians all over the world celebrated Christmas for the second year after the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike last year, the Holy Family Cathedral Church in Kuwait City celebrated Christmas Mass without strict health protocols, requiring everyone to wear masks at all times. The churches in Kuwait are no longer required to observe social distancing.

A band plays during Christmas eve service at the St George Universal Syrian Malankara Orthodox Reesh Church in Kuwait City on December 24, 2022.

Pastor Jolly Jeo of Redeemed Christian Church of God in Kuwait encouraged Christians to live a life worthy of emulation. He urged Christians to be good ambassadors of Christ. He praised Kuwait leadership for promoting peace and religious tolerance. The Catholic Church's Holy Family Cathedral and National Evangelical Church are the two of the biggest Christian denominations in Kuwait. Both located in the heart of Kuwait City. There are other Christian churches in Kuwait too, such as the Coptic and Orthodox churches, but they celebrate Christmas on January 7.

In St Peter's Square, the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis called for an end to the "senseless" war in Ukraine. In his traditional Christmas Day message broadcast, the pontiff urged "God to enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war". He asked God to inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist those who are suffering.

A woman uses a phone on a ‘selfie stick’ to take a photo outside the Catholic Cathedral in Kuwait City on Christmas Day on December 25, 2022.

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It observed on December 25 as a religious celebration among billions of people around the world. As feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world.