In Malaysia Christians are few
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from December 1994.
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Fewer than 1 million of Malaysia's 19 million people are Christian, but Christmas is a national holiday and the shops, hotels and restaurants in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, compete to put up the most extravagant Yuletide decorations.
Store owners see Christmas as a way to boost sales, and many Muslims also take part in the shopping spree since it coincides with end-of-the-year bonuses paid by most. companies.
The celebrations also get a boost from the Islamic government, which actively promotes a policy of religious tolerance in a diverse society.
Malaysia is one of the few countries that has national holidays recognising four major religions - Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. And it may be the only one that has enthusiastic public celebrations for all of them.
The most striking Christmas exhibit is at The Mall, a tony shopping plaza with 235 shops and a two-story high rendering of Santa's workshop in the main atrium.
"We always have big promotions for Christmas," said Gerard Cheung, general manager of the complex. "And every year we try to outdo ourselves."
Dozens of children wait in line to explore the huge set, which until recently included all eight of Santa's reindeer with lifelike heads bobbing up and down.
But during a recent magic show, a live tiger was brought onto the set, saw the inviting reindeer, and took one ferocious swipe that decapitated Comet. The injured reindeer has been removed and is currently under repair. The prognosis for Christmas Eve duty: doubtful.
Throughout the city, countless shops have "Merry Christmas" banners out front, trees festooned with ribbons and balls just inside the door, and soundtracks that feature Bing Crosby dreaming of a white Christmas. He truly would be dreaming in sunny Malaysia, where the December temperature is hovering around 90 degrees F (32 C) and there's been no sign of snow since the last Ice Age.
In Malaysia, you don't have to be a man to dress up as Santa. Waitresses, sales ladies and female social workers visiting orphanages all don Santa outfits, though they scrap the beard. Malaysians have given such women a name of their own: Santarinas. Christians open their homes on Christmas Day to any friend or neighbour who wants to drop by, regardless of religion. Others
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The tricky part is serving a meal that doesn't offend anyone's religious sensibilities.
A Christmas ham is taboo if you're expecting Muslims, who don't eat pork. And beef won't do either if you're having Hindus, who consider cows sacred.
"The meal can be a creative challenge for the cook," said the Rev. Daniel Lim of St. John's Cathedral, one of the largest churches in the city.
With such a religious and ethnic mix, the festivals never seem to end in Malaysia. In November, the Hindus had their main celebration, Deepavali. In January, there's a big bash for the Chinese New Year, and in February, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins.
"If you look at a calendar, there's always a festival coming up," said Rev. Lim.
