My heart gets jolly when December arrives simply because December for me is the Month of Loving, giving and sharing. Of course every other month should be the same, however, there’s an indescribable specialty applied to the love shown in December.
It’s the month where Christians gather all around the world to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Even though there has been so much controversy about the actual date and time Jesus was born, however, 25th of December has been declared worldwide as Christmas Day.
Although Cyprus is predominantly a Muslim country, the influx of Christians into the nation has triggered a need to celebrate and enjoy the Christmas festive season. Decorations and other events have been put in place to commemorate Christmas.
In a bid to acknowledge the festive season, Eastern Mediterranean University’s International Office organized a Christmas Carol on the 23rd of December 2016 with a host of activities planned for the event. Speaking to a few EMU students, they shared how they felt about spending Christmas in Cyprus (Names are withheld at their request)
“Christmas in Cyprus for me feels like any normal day, Christmas this year is on a Sunday and it sucks to think that I’d be going back to continue lessons in class tomorrow”.
“Honestly, Christmas in Cyprus doesn’t have the feel of home. Even though there are friends around to celebrate with, the feel of having family around is completely absent. I miss Christmas at home”.
“Christmas in Cyprus this year is completely different from other years, at least there’s an atmosphere around that screams Christmas through the decorations in different shops and in school. I however still wish I spent Christmas at home with family”.
“Christmas to me is a time to show love to people around, even though Christmas in Cyprus is not very fun, I’m determined to make it fun for me by showing love to everyone”.
Indeed, the Christmas festive season is accompanied with so much Joy, Love, Gifts and Laughter, however, I strongly believe that we can make the world an even better place if this special Christmas vibe is spread all year round. Let the Love we show every single day be evident and genuine, our hearts are large enough to love everyone at every time, don’t hoard your love until Christmas.
Have a Merry Christmas!! 🙂
By Jemima Atii
