THE festive joy of Christmas was not lost among Christian expatriates and tourists in the sultanate, even though they were thousands of miles away from home.
Dressed in their best oufits for the morning mass, most opted to celebrate the yuletide in the vicinity of their own home with loved ones while those who do not have families here celebrated the day in popular eateries with colleagues or close companions.
Mr and Mrs Pakurang, tourists from New Zealand, said that she did not expect to see festive decorations in a Muslim country and was impressed with the racial and religious unity shown in the country.
This diversity and harmony can be viewed as a motivating factor for us to come again, said the the couple who are in Brunei for a one-week holiday.
Peter Lee, an engineer who hails from Singapore, celebrated the occasion with his family in a traditional style.
"We all hand each other presents and had the ceremonial breakfast together and went to church for the morning mass," he said, adding that he will be holding an open house for his colleagues, including those of different religious beliefs.
He said that while the celebrations in the country are quite minimal compared to his country, it creates a sense of belonging and unity.
Jennifer Agulio, a Filipino, said that Christmas gatherings in Brunei are moderate compared to her country.
"In the Philippines, we used to spend extravagantly during this time, where here I only spend it with my close companions."
"The bond that we built here together is much stronger than celebrating in my hometown where material goods are more important now than fellowship," she said, adding that the tone here was more restrained and the signs, lights and images looked like the Christmas season she remembered as a child. She spent the Christmas eve together with 'balikbayans' (a term for overseas Filipinos) at a local eatery specialising in serving dishes from their own country.
Not all are enthusiastic about spending Christmas with their families though, Eng Han, an architect, spent the holidays playing golf and shopping.
"I am single and my family is in Malaysia, so i would rather spend it by grabbing the opportunity to play golf. With discounted rates in golf courses and cheap discounts at stores, due to the holidays, I might as well take advantage of the holiday,"
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