Maryknoll in Cambodia

Missionaries of Charity

Christmas 2000

Saturday, 9 December 2000

The Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's sisters) have two big projects in Cambodia, an AIDS and TB care facility and an orphanage. Those two works may not seem related but more and more children are being orphaned as their parents die of AIDS.

The sisters' Monivong house is their orphanage. It's a big facility, but being on one of Phnom Penh's main streets, there is no place for the children to play except inside the building. Thus a Christmas party takes on extra significance for these kids, offering a chance to "get out of the house" for a change.

The parish--the only Catholic parish in Phnom Penh--is much a center of Catholic life for the people in Phnom Penh so it is a natural place for something like a Christmas party with its big enclosed grounds and large indoor hall.

Christmas Party for the Orphans

Preparing for the Christmas party The calm before the storm: It took several trips in vans and Land Rovers to get all the kids from the two Missionaries of Charity projects over to "the church," the one and only parish in Phnom Penh. There in a large hall the kids gathered and waited to see what was going to happen since they're not Catholic or Christian and wouldn't have any idea what Christmas is about.

Singing Christmas songs The party started off with a medley of Christmas songs sung by the children who had been practicing in the Land Rover on the way over to the church. There weren't any decorations in the hall but each child had a Christmas stocking cap for a festive touch.

Santa Claus and one of the sisters A Christmas party here is an occasion for a lot of contrasts and dissimilarities from what a European or North American would be used to. Try this contrast on for size!

A dancing troupe from one of the provinces The party lasted more than three hours and was really a blast for the kids. After the initial songs by the assembled group, a troupe of youngsters from one of the provinces performed some traditional Khmer dances for the children.

Santa Claus leading a song Santa Claus really got into the swing of things. He was everywhere, doing everything with all his heart. His sheer size made him a literal stand-out, but he was also so gracious and attentive to all the kids.

Dancing the macarena As the party wore on, the man on the PA system jacked up the sound and put on a macarena tape! Then the place went wild as all the kids started to dance, something Khmer people would normally never do as individuals. And when was the last time you saw one of Mother Teresa's sisters doing the macarena?

Little girl feeling the beard of Santa Claus Christmas itself is a relatively unknown Western custom and celebration for the people in Cambodia, and probably many of the children were wondering just how Santa Claus fitted into the Christmas story the sisters had told them. Some children decided to explore for themselves!

Kids waiting to receive a bag of Christmas gifts After candy and ice cream for everyone, the kids prepared to leave. Each of them filed past Santa Claus who personally handed each one a bag full of small gifts as he gave each of them the traditional Khmer gesture of respect.

	The calm before the storm: It took several trips in vans and Land Rovers to get all the kids from the two Missionaries of Charity projects over to "the church," the one and only parish in Phnom Penh. There in a large hall the kids gathered and waited to see what was going to happen since they're not Catholic or Christian and wouldn't have any idea what Christmas is about.
	The party started off with a medley of Christmas songs sung by the children who had been practicing in the Land Rover on the way over to the church. There weren't any decorations in the hall but each child had a Christmas stocking cap for a festive touch.
	A Christmas party here is an occasion for a lot of contrasts and dissimilarities from what a European or North American would be used to. Try this contrast on for size!
	The party lasted more than three hours and was really a blast for the kids. After the initial songs by the assembled group, a troupe of youngsters from one of the provinces performed some traditional Khmer dances for the children.
	Santa Claus really got into the swing of things. He was everywhere, doing everything with all his heart. His sheer size made him a literal stand-out, but he was also so gracious and attentive to all the kids.
	As the party wore on, the man on the PA system jacked up the sound and put on a macarena tape! Then the place went wild as all the kids started to dance, something Khmer people would normally never do as individuals. And when was the last time you saw one of Mother Teresa's sisters doing the macarena?
	Christmas itself is a relatively unknown Western custom and celebration for the people in Cambodia, and probably many of the children were wondering just how Santa Claus fitted into the Christmas story the sisters had told them. Some children decided to explore for themselves!
	After candy and ice cream for everyone, the kids prepared to leave. Each of them filed past Santa Claus who personally handed each one a bag full of small gifts as he gave each of them the traditional Khmer gesture of respect.