Christian communities in Bahrain will embrace the festive spirit of Christmas today and tomorrow, with special prayer services hosted by churches across the kingdom.
The annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ is observed primarily on December 25 by billions of people around the world.
Major churches in the country have adorned their premises with festive decorations, including Christmas trees and nativity cribs depicting the birth of Christ, creating a joyful atmosphere as they prepare for special prayer services.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church (SHC), Manama, expects thousands to attend the solemn Mass in English today at 8pm. The service will be held on the Sacred Heart School grounds in Isa Town, preceded by a heartfelt carol-singing session starting at 7.30pm. Buses will be available for the night service from Manama to Isa Town and back. They will leave from the Arts and Crafts Centre, Zubara Avenue, at 5.30pm, 6pm and 6.30pm.
English Masses will be celebrated tomorrow at SHC. Services in multiple languages – including Arabic, English, French, Hindi, Konkani, Malayalam, Tagalog and Tamil – will also be held across various locations within the church premises on the same day.
Christmas tree at the SHC compound. Picture: Hassan Ebrahim
“Christmas celebrates the immense generosity of God the Father and the gift of His grace,” SHC parish priest Father Francis Joseph told the GDN.
“Whoever has a generous heart can celebrate, because Christmas is, after all, an act of sharing and caring out of love. This season, let us be generous in our love for humanity, making our planet a better world to live in. I wish you and your loved ones a blessed Christmas season.” The festive spirit will continue at SHC tomorrow with Home Away from Home, a social event for the parish’s domestic workers, which will be hosted at Our Lady of Arabia Auditorium from 9am to noon and from 1pm to 4pm. Participants can look forward to snacks, gifts and entertainment, with free registration for all.
SHC is also celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. Coinciding with the milestone, the institution’s original building or ‘Mother Church’ as it is referred to by parishioners was officially designated the Vicarial Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus last month.
Meanwhile, Masses will also be celebrated at Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali. The Roman Catholic cathedral serves as the seat of the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia and was inaugurated four years ago by His Majesty King Hamad.
Christmas Eve service at the cathedral today will feature carol singing at 7.30pm, followed by a Mass in English at 8pm and in Malayalam at 11pm. A service in Tagalog will be held tomorrow at 7pm in the auditorium on the same premises.
The kingdom’s Anglican community began its celebrations with an energetic evening of carols and fellowship on December 19. It will conduct Christmas Eve services today at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manama – the Christingle at 4.30pm and the first communion of Christmas at 11.30pm. The Awali Anglican Church (Awali chapel) on the Bapco compound will have a crib and Christingle service at 4.30pm on the same day along with live music and refreshments.
A Christingle is a decoration and tradition symbolising ‘Christ’s light’. During the service, each person takes a Christingle and candles are lit to create a warm, magical glow.
“Christmas proclaims that God has not remained distant from a broken world, but has entered it in humility and love,” St Christopher’s Cathedral interregnum priest Canon Father Rob Penrith told the GDN.
“In the child laid in a manger, heaven touches Earth and hope is born where it was least expected. The light that shines at Christmas is not sentimental or fleeting, but strong enough to confront darkness, suffering, and fear,” he added.
Community services will continue on Christmas Day, with a Tamil language service at the cathedral in Manama at 5.30am, followed by a family communion at 10.30am. Family communion at the Awali chapel will be at 10am. Communion is symbolic of the Last Supper and focuses on Christ’s sacrifice.
Also joining the festivities is the National Evangelical Church (NEC) in Manama. The oldest church in Bahrain, NEC is an interdenominational church established in 1906 by Reformed Church of America and will conduct its Christmas Eve service at its premises today at 11pm.
St Mary’s Indian Orthodox Cathedral staged carol-singing sessions during the days leading up to Christmas where a choir visited the homes of various members of the church. The congregation will have its service today at 6pm at Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam premises in Segaya. It will be followed by cultural events for the festive season and marking the Cathedral Day on December 26.
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