Christmas comes when the Covid-19 epidemic is still complicated and people’s lives are severely affected, the decoration is also simpler than every year.
At the Archdiocese of Hanoi , the Cathedral is still under repair, so there are only decorative lights around and in front of the Christmas tree and Jesus scene. The police regularly remind and limit the gathering of people, in order to ensure the regulations on epidemic prevention.
In front of the Cathedral, the scene of Jesus by the manager is arranged close to Nha Chung street for people to admire and take souvenir photos.
This year, the decoration in the houses of the parishioners is not as busy as in previous years. On the streets, scattered houses decorated Christmas miniatures.
Christmas atmosphere in front of a hotel lobby on Ly Thuong Kiet street. The decoration is simpler than in previous years. Although the hotels are open, there are few customers.
On Hang Ma Street, a group of young people poses for a photo at a store specializing in selling Christmas decorations.
In recent days, Hanoi has recorded the most positive cases in the country, with 1,646 on December 22 alone, so the government has tightened regulations on disease prevention and control.
At Hue Archdiocese , Phu Cam Cathedral has completed the Christmas decoration, mainly using the same lighting system as in previous years.
This year, most churches in Hue cut many decoration items to save money during the epidemic situation and take care of the Kim Long Clinic (Daughters of the Immaculate Conception), which is collecting treatment. Covid-19 patients.
A simple stone cave in front of the Hue Bishop’s Hall (the gate of Phan Dinh Phung Street), the place to welcome leaders of the Government, provinces and cities to celebrate Christmas Archbishop Joseph Nguyen Chi Linh, President of the Vietnamese Bishops’ Conference South is made simple. The statue of the baby Jesus will be carried and placed in the cave on the night of December 24, the great Christmas vigil.
In the corridor of Kim Long Clinic (Kim Long Ward, Hue City), a small cave is simply decorated by nuns who are taking care of Covid-19 patients here. The clinic is accepting treatment for 30 beds for mild or asymptomatic Covid-19 patients.
In the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City , many churches and parishes have finished decorating for Christmas. As a place heavily affected by the pandemic, this year the decoration of electric lights and the celebration of Jesus’ birthday is also less than usual. The Archdiocese wants more parishes to save money to share with families facing difficulties because of the epidemic.
On the evening of December 22, at Tam Ha Church (Thu Duc City), many people came to visit and take pictures. In front of the main courtyard and the entrance to the cathedral is a small cave with a large stone cave, a pine tree nearly 10 meters high and flower lights that shine at night. The decoration for the Christmas season has been prepared by the church since the beginning of December.
The highlight of the Catholic Christmas decoration is the grotto with the image of the baby Jesus being born in a manger, next to the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph (adopted father) and sheep and oxen. In some places, there is a miniature scene of the three kings led by a strange star to worship the baby God.
Mr. Huan (57 years old) carried his grandson to visit the church in the evening. “Tam Ha is one of the major parishes of Thu Duc, every year the church and the surrounding streets and alleys are decorated beautifully. Near Christmas, people in the area come to worship and have fun. , but this year, the atmosphere is much quieter,” he said.
17 km away, an alley on Dat Thanh Street (Tan Binh District) is decorated with shimmering lights. Catholics living in the area have hung lights together, some households have made miniatures of caves and Santa Claus since half a month ago.
Baby Khang (4 years old) was taken by his parents to play Christmas early. Her mother said that her son loves being transformed into Santa Claus, so the couple drove the child to church, a few alleys in religious villages so that the baby could have more experiences.
The Vietnamese Catholic Church currently has 3 archdioceses and 24 dioceses. According to the census of the General Statistics Office in 2019, Vietnam has more than 5.86 million Catholics.
This year, the Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam has raised more than 100 billion VND for the program, Dear Saigon, to help people in difficulty during the pandemic; donated 6,000 tons of medical equipment to the frontline against the epidemic; join hands for vaccine fund…
Follow (vnexpress)/ Photo: Internet