Pakistan is in southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north.

December 25 is a public holiday in Pakistan but it is not in memory of Jesus. The day is dedicated to Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah, the founder of the nation.

Pakistan is a predominantly muslim country (97%). For this reason Christmas does not receive national recognition. The celebration is quite simple and traditions vary from town to town with church services being held on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day which is called Barha Din or Greatest Day. Christian Pakistanis dress in bright clothes to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

Christmas dinner will usually feature chicken or beef curry, rice and something sweet for dessert. Families get together on this day if they live close to each other and, as in many other nations, there is visiting with neighbors

Christmas with Widows:

We want to celebrate christmas among poor widows, they are most negelcted during such a blessed ocassion. Our groups of believe have contacted near about 50 widows and want to distirbute food articles on this blessed christmas day, ( such as wheat flour, sugar, oil, tea etc.)

Each Widow lady needs 10 UK pound help.

Christmas with Orphans:

We have over 20 orphan and homeless kids, We want to celebrate christmas among them. We have more then 50 kids sorounding our location need help on a blessed christian ocassion.

Orphanage Needs:

Any kind of school-type supplies:

Craft Supplies:

Other Items:

hard candy (especially lollipops - Kurt hands these out as he goes around and I'm sure would welcome a fresh supply)

I do hope and pray May God Bless you and whole your team of believers. Please let us inform about this christmas plan, so we can inform them and make an arrangement soon.
Thank you for your note. Pakistan is a predominantly muslim country (97%). For this reason Christmas is not recognized nationally. Christians are mostly in the lower economic bracket and quite poor. Therefore their celebration is quite simple. Customs vary slightly from town to town and village to village. Church services are held on Christmas Eve as well as Christmas day. The church is nicely decorated with streamers and colourful flags. Many, many from the christian caste come to church on Christmas even if they don't come the rest of the year. Christmas is normally the day that everyone gets a new suit of clothing. For the poorest this will be their nicer suit for the rest of the year. Also families will have a special meal on this day. Chicken or beef curry, rice and maybe a sweet dish. Families may get together on this day if they live close to each other or if they can get the time off work. Dec. 25 is Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah's(founder of Pakistan) birthday, so it is a national holiday. For those who are pastors or evangelists it is a very busy day as they visit their multiple congregations and villages in their parish. Missionaries are normally very busy on this day as they are usually asked to preach as well. As a family we have usually celebrated Christmas on the 26th or 27th because we've been out in villages on Christmas day. Pray that the many nominal christians who attend the Christmas services may be touched by the Lord's spirit. I hope this is helpful. Anita

They have a church service which is packed on Christmas day which is called Bara Din the big day.

Pakistan is in southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north.

December 25 is a public holiday in Pakistan but it is not in memory of Jesus. The day is dedicated to Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah, the founder of the nation.

Pakistan is a predominantly muslim country (97%). For this reason Christmas does not receive national recognition. The celebration is quite simple and traditions vary from town to town with church services being held on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day which is called Barha Din or Greatest Day. Christian Pakistanis dress in bright clothes to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

Christmas dinner will usually feature chicken or beef curry, rice and something sweet for dessert. Families get together on this day if they live close to each other and, as in many other nations, there is visiting with neighbors.

India is situated in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma (Myanmar) and Pakistan. Although India's population is overwhelmingly Hindu and Moslem, modern global communications have given Christmas a major foothold in the culture where Christians make up just 2.3% of the population. Still, that adds up to more than 26 million Christians in the country where the population is over 1 billion.

In the large cities of India caroling processions are seen on streets and thoroughfares. Father Christmas is also seen in some shopping districts and there are department stores that have Father Christmas to entertain the children. The bigger cities like Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta wear a festive look as Christmas bazaars and markets are organized while stores offer special bargains for shoppers.

The Christians in India observe Christmas as a religious holiday when families go to church and then gather for a Christmas dinner.

The observance is varied in different parts of the country. In some areas, there are lights decorating the outside of the house and yards, but if the neighborhood is strictly non-Christian, you may not find too much in the way of outdoor decorations.

In Southern India, small clay oil-burning lamps are used as Christmas decorations; they are placed on the edges of flat roofs and on the tops of walls.

In Northwest India the tribal Christians of the Bhil people go out every night during the Christmas season to sing their special carols the whole night through. They visit surrounding villages singing to the residents and telling the Christmas story.

Bombay has one of the largest Christian communities in India, the majority being Roman Catholic. Many homes in Bombay have a crèche displayed in the front window. There is a great sense of pride in creating a beautiful Nativity scene and people walk through the neighborhood to admire the handiwork of their friends and neighbors. You will also find floating stars decorating some neighborhoods. They are giant paper lanterns, lit from within, in the shape of stars that are hung between the houses. It seems as if these stars float above you as you walk down the street.

Artificial Christmas trees are found in some homes while others decorate the main room with a mango tree or banana plant trimmed with ornaments and garlands.

The church service is held at midnight and it can last from two to three hours with hundreds of communicants and many children all massed together on the floor. Churches are decorated with poinsettias and lit with candles.

The British influence from the days before India gained independence has resulted in gift-giving during the Christmas season and dispensing baksheesh (charitable handouts) to poor people of the country.

The Christmas dinner is usually turkey or chicken served with curried rice and vegetables and every household makes sure that they have a large supply of homemade sweets ready to serve to an on-going procession of visitors. Hotels serve a lavish dinner and on the buffet you would find turkey, chicken, duck, lamb and seafood. They would be prepared with Indian spices. You would also find a wide variety of vegetarian dishes along with Indian bread (roti).

As in most places in the world, the celebration of Christmas in India has always been, and continues to be, a time to spend golden moments with friends and relatives.

In Jesus name,

Victor Sammuel