Christmas among the evangelicals of Singapore.

Introduction.

In Singapore, Christmas and the Western New Year are celebrated in public in much the same way as anywhere else in the world: as a huge shopping extravaganza, where people shop and exchange gifts to the sound of carols and under the many decorations of shopping centres, such as the Orchard Road orgy of colour. Restaurants promote their Christmas meals, the Christmas village is an exuberance of children and families, a veritable cacophony, not to mention the singing groups and the famous so-called Christmas festival and, of course, the snow as fake as the Santas that will be everywhere. In short, the tourist won't notice a thing. Tourists won't notice any difference from other commercially strategic locations elsewhere in the world, either in terms of the advertising, the songs or the marketing. A vast commercial festival under the aegis of the goddess Fortuna. 

But Christmas is different for real Christians. I'm not familiar with the rites of Catholic or Orthodox Christians, but I can tell you about the Christmas season among us evangelical Christians, particularly those in Singapore. But first, I'll explain what the evangelical movement is. Then I'll explain the particularities of those in Singapore, of my church, and then I'll invite you into our traditions.

Short definition of Protestantism and the evangelical movement.

Protestantism is a Christian movement that emerged with the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. One of its main characteristics was the break with certain doctrines of the Catholic Church, such as the sale of indulgences, the unconditional authority of the Pope and the veneration of saints. The movement is one of the main aspects of Christianity today and ever since. The evangelical movement, on the other hand, emerged in the 17th century as an offshoot of Protestantism. In other words, the evangelical movement is part of Protestantism, but with more clearly defined beliefs. The current Protestant movement was born with the Protestant Reformation, because it disagreed with a series of actions and doctrines of the Catholic Church of the time. Its main characteristics include the primacy of the Bible over oral tradition and the absence of a central human authority. The term Protestant originated from the ‘Protestatio’, a protest document presented in 1529 by the Lutherans, followers of Martin Luther's theology.

We evangelicals are a movement that originated in Protestantism and is characterised by faith in the Gospel alone and the four cardinal beliefs: the Bible contains the absolute truth; salvation comes only through belief in Jesus Christ; belief in the new birth, i.e. that by converting it is as if the believer gains new life; the importance of spreading the word of God through evangelism. The name of the movement derives from the Latin word ‘evangelium’, which means ‘good news’. Several movements: Baptist Church; Pentecostalism; Charismatic Movement; Non-denominational Christianity, etc. I personally am a Baptist. The main difference between the two movements is that evangelicals have a more clearly defined position on the Bible. Protestants generally follow the principle of Sola Scriptura, according to which only the Bible is the source of supreme revelation. Consequently, the Church cannot create doctrines that are not found in Scripture. Evangelicals also believe in this principle, but go further by asserting that the Bible is God's absolute truth, free from error, and that only the Gospels should be followed, the Old Testament being relegated to the shelf of fantastic creation stories.

The Baptist churches of the evangelical movement.

The Baptist Church is a denomination included in Christianity, which has as one of its main doctrines the baptism of adolescents and adults. The church is named after John the Baptist, who baptised Jesus Christ. The Baptist Church emerged with the Anabaptist movement and predates the Protestant Reformation movement. Within Christianity (which is the central element of Christ), there are different perspectives and denominations. Some of the differences between the Catholic Church and the Baptist Church are as follows: in the Baptist Church there is no infant baptism; Baptist Church leaders are known as pastors and are not obliged to take a vow of celibacy (they can marry and start a family); Women are allowed to have a ministry (be a pastor); In the Baptist Church there are no images or statues of religious figures. Baptism is a public demonstration of faith, and when a person is immersed in water, they are admitting that they are giving up the ‘old life’, professing their intention to live according to God's will. There are more different names for Baptist churches, which stem from certain differences in doctrines. However, certain essential doctrines are common to all Baptist churches. Among evangelicals, it is the community of believers that buys the land and the church and, through tithing, pays the pastor's salary and the costs inherent in tax and operating charges; there is even a board of directors at its head. Social life revolves around this community: aid, visits to the sick and elderly, leisure activities, religious courses, sexuality courses (yes), weddings, baptisms, funeral rites, etc.

Singapore Evangelical Movement.

Several churches. From the smallest to the largest. We have our own community centres (2); our own student unions (1); our own childcare facilities; our own youth and youth groups; our own entrepreneurship groups; our own marriage, celibacy and sexuality workshops; our own network of lawyers and legal aid for members; our own free, pro-bono school mentoring. Our own gyms. Finally, we are a tiny minority within the minority of Christians in Singapore (4).

Christmas among the evangelicals in Singapore.

The week before the celebrations (24th and 25th, the date of the Nativity), we sing carols in the evening in our church, collect donations and prepare meals for the most needy in the community. We visit the elderly. For Christians in Singapore, this is a special day, far removed from the commercial festivities (3), as we commemorate the birth of Christ. Everything is in place to spend time together as a family: school holidays (2 weeks), parents taking their last days of emergency leave, the week before we all got together and divided up the various tasks: choir, singing, decorations. The meal was almost entirely Western American, with a turkey in brown sauce with cranberry sauce (5). A large ham accompanied by applesauce with cinnamon, mashed potatoes, potatoes, appetisers, lots and lots of alcohol.  Importantly, to mark the occasion, we're baking a birthday cake as a family. That's right. This is a birthday celebration. It's the same almost everywhere among evangelicals, this birthday cake (6). We eat it as a family. Some families, following the American tradition, make it with fruit, others with cheese. For us, it's a delicious five-spice cake covered in white icing. Another special feature is that we wear white clothes (8). Not everyone does, even in our church, as there is no obligation to do so. But as this colour is a biblical reference, many people wear it, including me sometimes, even though I like purple from time to time. Finally, we offer bouquets of flowers to mothers and virgins. Again, there's no obligation and families follow whatever additional traditions they choose. In our family, we give flowers, so my mother and I receive a bouquet every Christmas, and no, I haven't become a mother. After the family meal, we go to church to celebrate mass. At the end of the sermon by the pastoral leader (pastor or reverend), the festivities begin: dance, children's games, childcare (where children can sleep or play), refreshment stands, buffet (for those who are still hungry).

Embun.

Notes and apropos.

1: https://fellowship.sg/ https://lawyers-singapore.com/a-guide-to-singapore-courts/ 
2: https://www.cefc.org.sg/woodlands-centre/ 
3: we're not a sect, nor are we sectarians, we go to festivales, we happily spend our budgets on ephemeral gifts. We're just people. 

https://www.cefc.org.sg/who-we-are/ 
Merry Christmas in Singapore: ‘Sheng Tan Kuai Loh’, which means ‘Merry Christmas’ in Singaporean Mandarin. ‘Selamat Hari Natal’ in Malay and the phrase translates to “Kiṟistumas Vāḻttukka” in Tamil. 
4: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/singapore/#people-and-society 
5: Peranakan Nonya meal is for the new year. 
https://blog.nus.edu.sg/linus/2023/12/11/nyonyas-and-christmas/ 
6: https://faithgateway.com/blogs/christian-books/birthday-cake-for-jesus 
7: https://jubileesolihull-org.translate.goog/the-spiritual-garments-we-wear/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=sc 
8 : https://www.petalandpoem.com/floral-thoughts/a-guide-to-the-symbolism-of-flowers-at-christmas