Christians in Hualien host first-ever Christmas caroling and carnival
Reported by Lin Yi-ying
Written by Lydia Ma
“Merry Christmas! Jesus loves you!” On December 11, 2010, more than 1,000 Christians from 4 Christian organizations in Hualien, came together at Hualien’s 6th Re-development Region at 4:00 p.m. to host a Christmas carnival.
The carnival began with a Christmas caroling where participants were divided into various groups to circle the bustling streets of downtown Hualien. After the caroling, a Christmas gala was held in the same location later on in the evening.
During the caroling, participants were divided into two routes. Those in the first route included East Coast Presbytery, Bunun Presbytery, and Hualien Pastors Prayer Alliance. The second route included a mix of Taroko Presbytery, Amis Presbytery, and other Christian organizations. They circled Hualien’s busiest streets, passing greetings to everyone they met.
According to reports, Hualien County Magistrate Fu Kun-Chi had originally wanted a county-wide religious festival to include all 5 major religious faiths and their organizations. However, Christians in Hualien didn’t feel at peace with such an arrangement and organized an inter-denominational Christmas carnival instead.
“There has rarely been any large Christmas activities in Hualien area in the past,” Hualien Missionary Alliance Chairman, Li Hsin-i, said. So, Christians in the area had multiple discussion meetings and prayer meetings before this event. Li thanked God for granting them a good weather on that day, which contributed greatly to the event’s success.
During the parade, our reporters asked Taroko Presbytery General Secretary, Rev. Nangan Tadaw, if this was the first time that all of Hualien’s Christians had come together for a Christmas caroling and carnival. “Yes! Yes! Yes!,” the General Secretary replied. “We’ve had Christmas events in schools, senior homes, and even penitentiaries and hospitals. But we’ve never had such a huge inter-denominational event spearheaded by 4 presbyteries. So, yes, this must be a first for Hualien.”
