The Sri Lankan community in Saudi Arabia organized their annual celebration of Christmas on 07 December 2018 at the premises of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh with the participation of community members representing all faiths.
Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Azmi Thassim referred to Sri Lanka as a pluralistic society and said that the true spirit of Christmas and its message of peace and harmony are reflected even in this gathering where people of the Christian and all other faiths have come together to celebrate this joyful occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. André Dupont, representative of the Embassy of France in Riyadh, said that the message of Jesus to this world is about peace and harmony, and that he is enthralled to see how the Sri Lankan community in Riyadh has come together to make this Christmas such a memorable event.
The evening was decorated with Christmas carols by junior and senior choirs in Sinhala, Tamil and English languages. Highlight of the event was the Christmas musical drama on the birth of Jesus Christ (nativity play) presented by a group of children in the style of Sri Lankan traditional liturgical plays.
Being the last event of the social calendar of the Embassy, New Year greetings for 2019 were also extended to all community members at this event.
A Painting Exhibition was also held parallel to this celebration depicting the life of Jesus Christ and the meaning of Christmas.
The celebrations were attended by a large number of Sri Lankans living in Saudi Arabia with their families. The guests were also treated with a dinner comprising traditional Sri Lankan cuisine with Christmas delicacies.
