WE are not alone in the way we celebrate Christmas and New Year. The end of a year is universally celebrated in almost like ways in multi-ethnic societies as I encountered in travel to far away destinations. As I experienced in travels last week to Bali and Singapore, once there is religious and ethnic tolerance of others, as we have in Guyana, there will be peace and harmony. It was heartening to see Hindus, Muslims, and Christians co-mingling and celebrating a holiday, as so often happen in Guyana.
The annual seasonal holiday has its own special aura. In Guyana, Bali and Singapore, even non-believers in Xmas are caught up in the joyous seasonal celebrations showing their appreciation for festivals not of their own beliefs. I was fortunate to spend Christmas Day in Singapore and the evening in Bali to experience the celebration.  Although these are not Christian societies, they celebrate the season similarly to Guyana. The multi-ethnic groups in those societies show appreciation of the festival just as we do in Guyana.  And as in Guyana, their Christmas songs don’t end after Xmas Day but continues till Old Year. And the New Year is welcomed with prayers and feats as we do in Guyana.
Like in Guyana, in Bali and Singapore Christmas and New Year are kinds of national holiday (although Hindus and Muslims don’t partake in the church or other spiritual activities for Xmas) with the streets, homes and shopping malls amply decorated (with tress and buntings) to reflect Christmas and the joyful end of year season. Everywhere I went, Muslims and Hindus wished me a Merry Christmas. And they also offered the warm “Namaste” suggesting they expect people to have tolerance of the celebration of Christmas. In Hindu Bali in particular, mainstream people respect the faiths of others seeing no conflict with different faiths living peacefully together.  The few churches were packed for services on Christmas Eve. People went to church in traditional Bali clothing. The biggest signs of Christmas are in the malls which have huge Christmas trees, and the restaurants put on some manner of Christmas flair. Hotels had Christmas trees that were ornately decorated, and with “Merry Christmas” signs and offering a host of items reflective of the season. There were Santa Clauses giving out presents to the children. And as we have in Georgetown, local bands play music on the streets in Bali and Singapore. And the malls also entertained the people with music and shows. It was warming to see Christians, Hindus and Muslims participating together to enjoy Christmas in harmony. People showed terrific appreciation for the festival as a mark of respect for their Christian brethren similar to the respect shown by Hindus and Muslims in Guyana.
Contrasting with Bali, Christmas is more spectacularly celebrated in Singapore which is brilliantly illuminated with specially designed decorations in the streets and the malls.  The festive mood is similar to Guyana or among the Guyanese in New York. As in Guyana, this island nation state is composed of people from varied cultural backgrounds (including Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus) and like in Guyana, this does not segregate the people but just creates a rich cultural diversity that makes the celebrations even more enjoyable. Harmonious religious interaction among various groups of people can and do indeed lead to a wonderful holiday season.