With Christmas lights being turned on, children dressed as Santa Claus, musical shows in different cities and a video released by state television showing a nativity scene and people singing a religious song, the administration of Nicolás Maduro began, by decree, the early celebration of the Christmas in Venezuela, on Tuesday (1st).
The decision to bring Christmas forward, taken by the Venezuelan president in different years since coming to power in 2013, this time was announced by Maduro on the same day that the court issued an arrest warrant against the former opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González.
The anticipation of the celebrations was questioned by the Catholic Church. “Christmas is a universal celebration. The manner and time of commemoration are up to ecclesiastical authority. This festivity should not be used for propagandistic or private political purposes”, expressed, in September, the country’s Episcopal Conference, pointing out that the celebration only takes place in the last month of the year.
“Jesus Christ belongs to the people, Christmas belongs to the people and the people celebrate it whenever they want to celebrate their Christmas”, replied Maduro, in turn, saying that the date will be celebrated in the country until January 15th.
In the capital Caracas, Chavista mayor Carmen Meléndez, dressed in Christmas colors, alongside Culture Minister Ernesto Villegas, led a ceremony to light the cross in the Waraira Repano national park and the Christmas tree in Plaza Bolívar, in the center of city.
“On October 1st we started Christmas everywhere in the country, with our children and families”, she stated, surrounded by children dressed as Santa Claus. According to the state television channel, musical shows were held in the states of Miranda, Bolívar and Zúlia.
“Who would have thought that bringing Christmas forward would cause discomfort in some minority sectors”, joked the Minister of the Interior and one of the main Chavista leaders, Diosdado Cabello, who participated in the Christmas lighting at the headquarters of the Venezuelan Penal and Criminal Scientific Investigations Corps. “However, we saw people happy and enjoying themselves in the country’s Bolívar Squares,” he said.
Christmas early 10 years ago
Maduro has been bringing forward the Christmas celebration period since his first year in government, in 2013. At the time, he claimed there was an “economic war” by opposing business sectors against his government.
That year, the country faced shortages of basic products, such as toilet paper, shampoo, cooking oil and some foods. Newspapers reported that there would be a lack of toys and products to prepare traditional dishes for Christmas Eve dinner in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan president then brought Christmas forward to November as part of a campaign to, according to him, “defeat bitterness”.
In addition to bringing forward harmonica shows, a musical genre associated with the period, and Christmas lighting in the cities, payments of the 13th salary would also be brought forward, and fairs would be held to sell food and toys.
Since then, Christmas has been brought forward several times, in some years to October and in others to November.
This content was originally published in By Maduro’s decree, early Christmas begins to be celebrated in Venezuela on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
