Eco Nature Travel

Christmas is a working day in Mongolia….I have never worked during Christmas although i am a non Christian. As a malaysian, we do celebrate Christmas in Malaysia with our fellow Christian friends. All shopping centers and pubs/restaurants are full of christmas decoration. It is lively and happening in Malaysia.

Do Mongolians celebrate Christmas? Traditionally, they don’t but u can see many people selling christmas trees and christmas decoration items either in the shopping mall or along the street. I guess this could be due to the influence of the Russian or westerners. Some even decorated their car with some christmas decoration items…around the bumper or the rim. At first, i thought it was a wedding car..but then i realised it was actually for christmas celebration…hehehe

Many people here don’t really know what is christmas for? How to celebrate christmas? For some people, it may just another reason to get drunk…somehow, i managed to find my way to celebrate christmas in Mongolia. I went to a ger district church…a missionary community under Mother Theresa..There are many mongolians who went to the church either for food or Say Mass, blessing, religions guidance or hopes. Somehow the missionary community church provided a warm and meaningful environment to the children, the old and youngs. The church was crowded with people. Children were performing a drama, singing…..a warm and holy way of celebrating Christmas a cold ger district area in Mongolia.

I was late that day. My friends and i have to wait outside the chapel at the second door..it was freezing cold..my feet was like being soaked into the ice that evening..Anyway, my friends who came earlier took some pictures of the Mass and performance. The sisters then served us some food. Nothing much we did there we just brought some food, snacks to the children. Talking with the sisters and friends. That’s how i spent my Christmas in Mongolia.  Pictures taken below are out of courtesy of Maggie Oh.

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A a warm and holy place which support the ger district community..This chapel is under the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Theresa’s Sisters). It is about x km from UB. Before u reached this place, u can see many gers and houses built along the mountains all around..During winter, this area is worst. It will be smokey and air pollution is high. This is caused by the residents there burning woods or charcoal to keep their gers warm from the harsh winter.

The Missionaries of Charity is an international religious family founded by Mother M. Teresa, M.C. in Calcutta, India. The mission of the society is to service the poorest of the poor. They engaged in picking up strict urchins forsaken by their parents, and bringing them up with proper food, clothing, medical aid and education. There are about 6 sisters here from different countries, some are from Africa, Singapore, Korea, India & Bangladesh.

There will be some Catholic priest who visit this church every Sunday to perform Mass to the local community. According to Fr Augustine Mundackatt V C, it was in 1994 that the Catholic Mission was established in Mongolia . There are no churches in this country. It is on the official request of the Mongolian government that Catholic priests and Missionaries of Charity came to Mongolia. Many Mongolians have faith in no particular religion. Most people know nothing about Jesus Christ or the Bible.

With the love of those sisters who service the community and the love of God make this place full of hopes and warmnest in this freezing cold country.

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