Echoes of prayer, hope reverberate as expatriates celebrate Christmas in Amman

AMMAN — In sharp contrast to the chilly wind and empty streets outside, the pews of two Amman churches were flooded with candlelight, music and hundreds of people, mostly women working as domestic workers in the Kingdom, who came to sing, pray and celebrate Christmas.

For Fresnaida Palamayan, Christmas in Jordan is an opportunity to join fellow Christians hailing from around the world in Amman to celebrate the religious occasion.

However, every year she experiences a bittersweet mingling of hope and heightened loneliness as she celebrates the holiday thousands of miles from her family in the Philippines.

She is not the only one. Hundreds of people flocked to St Joseph Church in Jabal Amman and Annunciation of Mary Church in Jabal Luweibdeh on Wednesday, carrying with them warm memories of Christmas celebrations with family in their homelands.

Fresnaida, who has worked in Jordan for 14 years, told The Jordan Times after the service in Jabal Luweibdeh that she misses her family and home.

“I prayed for everything,” she said. “I have a brother, and he is sick. So I prayed for him, and all my family.”

In between familiar Christmas songs that echoed around the packed church, Father Gerald, chaplain of the Filipino Chaplaincy in Jordan, delivered a Christmas message and led his congregation in prayer for their families back home, their employers, Jordan and its leadership.

In his message, the priest urged those crowded together in front of him to remain steadfast in their faith and not to abandon hope in the midst of difficult circumstances.

For the majority of the congregation, life far away from their home countries and loved ones is indeed difficult.

“Some are celebrating birthdays without their loved ones around them, some are mourning a death. But all miss their families,” Gerald told The Jordan Times.

“Of course it is different, because my family is there, and I am here. It’s lonely,” said Monerh, who has been living in Jordan for 11 years, adding that she only gets to see her daughter every one or two years.

Despite the sadness that comes from spending such a time far away from parents, siblings and children, it is also a day of thanksgiving, Gerald noted.

“They come here to thank God for their blessings — big and small, little or plenty — this is a thanksgiving,” he said.

Nantale, a young woman from Uganda who arrived in Jordan six months ago, said: “I feel happy because I got a chance to come here and pray. I prayed for my family in Uganda, and my life.”

For Shaji Joseph, who hails from the southern Indian state of Kerala and has been working in Jordan for 13 years, Christmas is an occasion to cherish.

“Though it’s not like celebrating it with dear ones back home, Jordan is our second home. The spirit of harmony, unity and peace in Jordan makes it a special Christmas home away from home,” he said.

Coming to the Christmas service is also a way for many who work as domestic workers and other occupations that limit their free time to meet each other and spend time with friends, Gerald noted. 

“There’s no other way for them to meet. It’s in the church when they see each other,” he said.

“In times of depression, the joy brought about by faith brings a lot of relief.”