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KUALA LUMPUR: For most Malaysians, Christmas falls annually on December 25, with religious celebrations in church followed by banquets and the exchange of gifts between family and friends.
However, once New Years Day has come and gone, the holiday season is considered over, and homes and malls put away their seasonal decorations.
Given that the next big celebration will be Chinese New Year in February, it’s not surprising to find lanterns and red packages replacing Christmas trees and mistletoe in the coming weeks.
But for a segment of Malaysian Christians, Christmas is yet to come and the Christmas celebrations have not started; they are still in the middle of the season fast.
The mention of Orthodox Christianity to many will only attract looks of utter bewilderment. However, statistically, Orthodox Christianity is the third largest denomination of the faith, with the majority of its 260 million followers living in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Throughout two thousand years of history, Orthodox Christianity has kept its traditions and faith unchanged, which includes celebrating Christmas on January 7, not December 25.
Why is this the case? Most of the world today follows what is known as the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, which replaced the previously used Julian calendar.
However, the Russian Orthodox Christian Church continues to observe festivals and holidays according to the Julian calendar.
The Julian calendar is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, hence the reason for the delayed celebration of Christmas.
It may come as a surprise to many, but there are Orthodox Christians living in Malaysia, although their number is small.
Nestled in the shadow of the Petronas Twin Towers is one of the few centers of worship for this community, the Archangel Michael Russian Orthodox Church, which FMT visited on a rainy Sunday morning.
This church, established in 2012, is a rare sight in the city and is one of the few traditional Orthodox Christian churches in the country.
From the outside, it appears to be a simple whitewashed structure, with the only indication that its purpose is a religious icon that hangs over its front door.
As you walk through the door, it becomes clear that this is a church, although not one that one would expect to find in Malaysia.
Beautiful paintings of saints adorn the interior walls, and it’s hard not to admire the love and dedication that clearly went into these works of faith.
Attention is immediately drawn to the display at the front of the church, covered in icons, a distinctive feature of Orthodox churches.
It’s called the iconostasis and it separates the altar from the ‘nave’, where people stand to worship, much like a curtain is used to separate the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place in the Temple of Jerusalem.
In the era of Covid-19, religious institutions, such as private companies and public spaces, are required to adhere to SOPs. As such, the few chairs that are provided for the worshipers are set far apart from each other, and only a small congregation can attend the service, called the Sunday liturgy.
Remarkably enough, the women of the congregation cover their heads, a common practice of modesty in Orthodox Christian countries.
The liturgy, which began at 9.15am, was led by Father Pavel and Father Seraphim, the two men from the church, and the congregation sang prayers.
While some churches often use musical instruments during worship, Orthodox churches do not; instead, they are based on choral music.
As much of the congregation and Father Pavel himself are ethnic Russian, the liturgy is conducted mainly in Russian, although with some parts in English included.
However, once this liturgy concludes, a sign of the times is revealed when Father Serafín delivers a solemn reminder.
In previous years, the Christmas liturgy on January 7 was often followed by a joyous feast.
These feasts were often glorious events, with Eastern European delicacies including meat and dairy products being distributed to members of the congregation, breaking the 40-day fast of these foods.
This year, however, there will be no such party due to security concerns, and the increase in Covid-19 cases is cause for alarm.
After hanging up his clothes for the day, Father Seraphim took some time to better explain to the FMT the importance of Christmas to the Orthodox Christian Church.
For Father Seraphim, Christmas is still important as it marks the occasion when “God became man to save us.” Interestingly, according to him, Christmas is only the second most important church holiday, with the most important being Easter or Easter Sunday.
Having converted to Orthodox Christianity in 2010, Father Seraphim recognizes that this Christmas will be different from others in the past. Yet he remains hopeful through it all, firmly believing that the suffering caused by the pandemic will eventually see an end in one form or another.
And until that day comes, he and his cloth brothers are ready to provide spiritual guidance to people experiencing these difficult times.
