Christmas in Brunei, a reader’s account

It was reported that Christmas celebrations were banned in Brunei.

So I went to the biggest church in Brunei, about 15 minutes from my place, to see how the ban affected the minority Christians in this tiny oil-rich country.

For the record, Muslims form 67% of the population, 13% are Buddhist, and another 10% Christian.


The remaining 10% subscribe to various religions, including indigenous religions.
I began my journey to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption at the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei.

It is the biggest church in Brunei, in front of which there is another church painted in blue, St Andrews Church.

When I reached there about 8.30am, the place was packed.

Cars were parked at both sides of the road. There were a few stalls along the road near the entrance of the church selling clothes, drinks and foods.

The Christmas mass gets underway inside the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, the biggest church in Brunei, this morning. – Pic by Harris Nasril, December 25, 2015.The Christmas mass gets underway inside the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, the biggest church in Brunei, this morning. – Pic by Harris Nasril, December 25, 2015.Outside the church, I asked a woman if Christmas celebrations in Brunei were banned.

She told me the ban was only for Muslims and in public spaces, but in churches and in private properties, they could celebrate as usual.

Well, that explains a lot why I did not see Christmas trees in shopping complexes.