Cultural Identity & Justice During Christmas
Last Christmas, my cousin @shivsters and I exchanged gifts in the morning and in the evening we attended her community Christmas party. The local Gujarati community gathered together to eat delicious Indian food, play musical chairs (to Bollywood songs) and dance to Hindi and Gujarati music.
I love how God created us all uniquely. I love how He made a way for people of all backgrounds to come to saving faith in Him. He makes it possible to celebrate my unique, beautiful culture in a way that’s honoring to Him.
While this Christmas looks very different, I still have hope because He’s still on the throne.
“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:30–33
Biral Patel (B.S., MPH) is from Houston, Texas and works full time as a Wellness Consultant. Her passions include health promotion, disease prevention, and most importantly, her faith. She is a Christian from a Gujarati Hindu family background. As a first generation Indian American, she is thankful for the vibrant culture God has given her and desires to continue to carry on the language, food, celebrations and family values in ways that are glorifying to Him. In her free time, she enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles and trying out coffee shops. Follow her on Instagram @biral93.
Our family is mixed. I am Filipinx and Black, my husband is Chicanx. We’re proud children of immigrants. He was raised in the Black church. I was raised in a Filipinx Catholic context. There are many details to how we celebrate Christmas. There is one uniting element of our cultural Christmas traditions that stays at the center: being together.
Our cultures are rooted in community. I like to call it the village: extended family, non-blood relatives, friends, newly immigrated who are homesick and looking for community, and strangers who become friends. The beauty of the village is how it cultivates resistance towards the racism and xenophobia we face daily. Our commitment to togetherness defies the harsh ways of American individualism. Together is how we overcome hatred, deepen our pride, and share love.
We can’t be together this Christmas because of the pandemic. I’m learning the joy is found in our commitment to be together: video calls, virtual gift exchanges, texts, and swapping recipes. We make parols to remind us of the Philippines and show off our finished products to each other. We live stream baile folklorico performances while our eldest dances around the house in her new china poblana dress. We deliver smoked brisket, mac and cheese, tamales, and suman to each other because food is a love language.
The nativity gives a blend of people and cultures coming together to worship the newborn King. They become a community and share this unique love experience centered on Christ. The diversity and openness of our cultures are a reflection of that first night. The uniqueness of our village is rooted in resilience. Our cultures are rooted in love, hospitality, and service. Our village is a reflection of the living gospel.
Camille Geri is a mom, writer, minister and community organizer. The mixed-race daughter of a Mississippi-bred civil rights activist and a Filipina immigrant, Camille offers a unique perspective on what it means to pursue justice. She believes that how we heal is how we liberate. She fuses her expertise as a pastoral minister, trauma-informed educator, and anti-racist activist to cultivate leaders. Follow Camille on Instagram @camille.geri and her website www.camillegeri.com.
This is my Mexican-American Christmas. Don’t be fooled. It probably doesn’t look much different than yours. But, it doesn’t mean that its beginnings had the same start as yours, either. As a child, my family would attend the Christmas Eve service at our church. During the service the children’s choir would perform, the Christmas play was held, and a beautiful sermon was given with candle lighting. There was so much love and warmth that we quickly forgot just how cold it was outside. Our church became our second family, even more so because my parents didn’t have immediate family nearby. But they weren’t the only ones. Many, if not everyone, at the church had left their home countries for a better life in the states and they all had someone back home to think of. Despite missing their families, we still celebrated because the Savior that was born thousands of years ago is the same Savior that protected everyone as they sojourned to this land.
My parents may not have taught us the traditions of our heritage but they did their best to teach us to remember Jesus.
This Christmas, my sweet niece and nephew invited me to join them in singing some Christmas songs in a mini-recital for the family. In remembrance of my early childhood days, we plan on singing some Christmas songs in Spanish.
As I hope you can see, my Mexican-American Christmas isn’t made up of just honoring cultural traditions but honoring the One who gave me the culture I can claim today.
Samantha Treviño is a student majoring in English at Texas State University and an aspiring writer. She currently works at The Settlement Home for Children. Originally from Virginia, she now lives in Austin, Texas and did NOT run as fast as she could to get there. She enjoys worship jam sessions, shopping for books and deep conversations. She is passionate about encouraging and leading others to Christ. You can follow her on Instagram @_samiam77.
These stories are from Part 2 of Pax’s two-part series, “Tis Our Season: Cultural Identity & Justice during the Holidays.” We are thrilled to be collaborating with SheLoves Magazine for this second part and our aim is to intentionally make space for a multicultural Christmas together. Like and follow Pax and SheLoves on Instagram to learn about how to experience peace, justice and wholeness during this holiday season. To read more about faith and culture, read Pax’s StoryArc on Cultural Identity and follow SheLoves Magazine on their website shelovesmagazine.com.
