CHRISTMAS IN PHILIPPINES AND SAUDI ARABIA

                                                                  CHRISTMAS IN PHILIPPINES

Christmas in the Philippines is incredible and full of Christmas spirit that radiates everywhere. Christmas in the Philippines is celebrated from September until the middle of January. Christian light traditions are ubiquitous and families come together to create paper lanterns of different shapes during their Christmas eve dinners. For weeks eveyone looks for the perfect gift for their loved ones, but it is during Christmas day when the presents are delivered during the traditional game called "manita". At the moment of giving the gift to their "manita", each person has to guess what the gift is and also sing a local song. This game makes families very happy, as they have the pleasure of giving and receiving gifts with family members. 

CHRISTMAS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Christmas in Saudi Arabia is not celebrated and is prohibited, due to their religious beliefs. Saudi Arabia issues an annual regulation banning "visible signs" of Christmas celebration. Neither Muslims nor visitors are allowed to celebrate, and the use any Christmas symbols is prohibited. Any Muslim who converts to Christianity (conversion is illegal and punishable by death, imprisonment or lashing) is often forced to hide their faith, often acting like a Muslim who does not celebrate Christmas.

• While the country's laws "allow" Christians to celebrate Christmas in private, the gatherings are nonetheless monitored by government officials. In December 2012, the Arab media reported that the Saudi police forces (the Mutaween) raided a private home arresting more than 40 guests for "conspiring to celebrate" Christmas.

Taking into account all of the information on the blog, there are many things we can learn from other countries. As an 18-year-old girl in Colombia, I am able to go out and enjoy many activities. However in Colombia, people take precautious during the day and more commonly at night, due to certain areas being more dangerous than in other countries. If we talk about the differences between countries and cultures, we can see that Haiti as a less developed country, relies more on natural medicine and less on technologial medical practices. On the other hand, Colombia tends to use more advanced technological medical practices. It is very interesting to see the cultural differences between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. Not every country celeberates the same traditions and this is evident when comparing thes two countries.