These past few days, my journey took me across three capitals in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
With the Christmas season upon us, followed soon by the New Year, I was not prepared for the extent of merchandising as I had witnessed in the West and particularly in the US where ‘buy, buy, and more buy’ was the dominant theme from early November until the end of the year,
In the Middle East, which is home to some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, Christmas is celebrated in many countries of the region.
In Egypt, with its large Christian population of approximately 20 million people, celebrations take place. However, as Christians there belong to several different denominations, they use their calendar to mark the special day of celebrations. Their celebrations are more spiritual in comparison to the West.
Traditionally in Iraq and Syria, Christmas celebrations is a simple affair, without much of the fanfare of presents and wrapping paper. Christians sometimes burn a bonfire of dried thorn branches at Christmas. In Lebanon, Christmas is celebrated as “Eid Milad Majid”, which means Glorious Birth Feast, with much fanfare.
Santa's mailbag overflowing
In Syria, there’s no Santa Claus with his reindeer climbing down chimneys to give out gifts. Instead, it’s a Christmas camel that has that particular festive honour. To welcome him, children fill shoes with hay and put out bowls of water on Christmas Eve.
In the GCC where the native population is not Christian, there have been inroads. As I made my way through the bustling capitals, I noticed an increased tempo in the merchandising of this Christian holiday that was not so marked as in the past. In one of the cities, sitting in the back seat of a taxi, I casually asked the driver why he was wearing Santa’s hat.
In Egypt, with its large Christian population of approximately 20 million people, celebrations take place. However, as Christians there belong to several different denominations, they use their calendar to mark the special day of celebrations. Their celebrations are more spiritual in comparison to the West
He replied that his boss had asked him and all the drivers in the fleet to do that and play Christmas songs while taking passengers.
Upon further discussions, he revealed that his boss also owned a large chain of consumer goods that he was helping to advertise to sell goods to eager consumers caught up in the buying frenzy.
Pressing the right buttons
In another city, while walking through a mall I came upon a stall whose attendant I would come to know was a young man from Nepal. After a few moments of chitchat and getting to know his name and origin, I asked him about the suit. In a low voice, he said.” Sir, I have been asked to wear the suit as it attracts the attention of children who are walking the mall hall and stop their parents briefly at my stall.”
In another city, I was eager to sample some Indian sweets from a well-renowned branch from India. As I walked into the store, I could not help but notice how festooned it was with Christmas lights and a fully decorated tree in the corner.
In Saudi Arabia, Christians celebrate the holiday privately. Christmas is not a public holiday. However, many Western compounds in major cities of Saudi Arabia host Christmas parties with all their zeal.
At these parties, you will find a Christmas tree and even Santa Claus makes an appearance there. But the trend is slowly making an appearance in the local markets, albeit on a much smaller scale than those in other major Gulf cities.
Be as it may, the marketing wizards know how to press the right buttons to get you to run out there and buy, buy, and buy.
— Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi sociopolitical commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Twitter: @talmaeena
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