Christmas Eve in the capital is mostly a glitzy affair. Home to a large number of diplomats and expatriates who usually celebrate the birth of Christ behind closed doors, Islamabad also has a thriving indigenous Christian community.

Sector F-7’s French Colony, a Christian quarter in the middle of one of the capital’s most upscale neighbourhoods, the colours of Christmas are on display for all to see. Children in Santa hats mill about as young and old decorate walls and brightly lit trees. The colour and energy almost makes one forget the freezing temperatures, the elaborate nativity displays and the exchange of presents and clothes bringing joy to the faces of everyone who lives here. “Even though it is a children’s pastime, we still paint and decorate alongside the little ones because it makes us feel like kids again,” says Rabia, who is putting up decorations outside her house.

Angel and her brother Simon hang decorations on their tree.

All the preparations are done by residents themselves. Many even make their own Christmas decorations, while other trinkets are family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation. Parents use the nativity scene to explain the story of Jesus Christ to the younger generation. “This is the real meaning of Christmas. I am teaching my children what my parents taught me.”

Shiraz paints a giant Santa Claus on the wall outside his house.

The main nativity display in the colony is created by a group of volunteers who go by the name ‘Best Friends’. “It takes us two months to finish: from putting up the barn and creating the crib and the hut. It takes us back to the time when Jesus was born; we relive his birth every year,” says Imran, the group leader.

A lit Star of Bethlehem glows atop a tree on the night before Christmas.

Here, despite the festive mood, an air of sombreness hangs over the celebrations; a hangover from the Peshawar tragedy that shook the entire country to its core. This means that while Christmas does go on, this year’s celebrations are more subdued, in respect of the memory of those who passed away. Special prayers were also held for the victims of the school attack.

The local sweetmeats dealer rewards young men working to recreate the Nativity scene.

“I hug my children extra tight at night, thinking about the parents who lost their angels,” a man says as he hangs decorations.

Rabia and her brother decorate their house with fairy lights.

Residents of French Colony clear hay from the site for the nativity scene.

Sister Shahnaz plays the tongs and sings with the women of her neighbourhood inside a church in the French Colony.— Photos by the writer

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2014