By The Rev. Ted Schulz
Christmas is a big deal in the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Not only does it mark the birthday of Jesus Christ, but it also marks how old one is. For example, I was 16 years old when my family returned to the States. The New Guineans would say I was 16 Christmases old. In addition to being a religious holiday, Christmas is a measure of time.
My memories chiefly come from the years we lived on Karkar Island which is near the provincial city of Madang on the North Coast of PNG. Church services in the towns and villages are at the heart of the Christmas celebration with processions. The garamut (hollowed-out log) was banged to call the people to worship. The churches were decorated with coconut fronds and tropical flowers. There were candles too and lots of singing. I recall the outdoor dramas that the Narer mission station students put on at night on the soccer field. They did this for both Christmas and Holy Week and Easter. The New Guineans like acting out dramas. They dramatized the Christmas story with Mary and Joseph, the angels, shepherds, and wise men. They powerfully portrayed evil King Herod’s slaughter of the innocents of Bethlehem with the sounds of loud wailing in the nighttime air. It was haunting to me!
The Schulz family (with us four kids) always had a Christmas tree. It was usually a casuarina tree which looks somewhat similar to our cedar tree in the States. We children helped decorate the tree with simple ornaments and icicles, both the short plastic and the long silver tinsel variety. We really looked forward to receiving the Christmas parcels from relatives in the USA. They had to mail them early because it would take a month or more to cross the Pacific via surface mail. Growing up in the tropics, we kids could only imagine the magic of snow. We were mesmerized viewing the snow scenes on the Christmas cards sent from America and “watching the snowfall” if we were lucky enough to receive a Christmas snow globe present. Our family enjoyed singing Christmas carols together while gathered around the Christmas tree. Mom’s cookie-cutter Christmas cookies with sprinkles were always a treat. The American Lutheran Church mission board also sent out parcels of clothing and other gifts which Dad and Mom distributed to the New Guinean pastors and teachers and their families.
Looking back, we lived a simple and rather spartan life. The life of missionaries involved sacrifices and not many comforts. Growing up, we did not have things we Americans take for granted like electricity, running water, telephone, television. I remember looking through the Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Wards catalogs that illustrated many toys and goodies. Something I dreamed of getting for Christmas was a child’s car, truck, or tractor with pedals to drive around in. That was only a fantasy as the cost and logistics made it an impossibility. There were no FedEx, UPS, or DHL shippers in those days. Missionaries like my parents served seven year terms overseas before returning to the States for a one year furlough. A lot can happen in seven years. Starting at the age of six, we mission kids went off to boarding school at Katharine Lehmann Lutheran School at Wau in PNG. At the age of thirteen, we began attending boarding school at St. Peter’s Lutheran High School in Brisbane, Australia. After being away from home for such long periods of time, flying home for Christmas was a happy experience. In the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas break is equivalent to summer break in the U.S. While our Christmas holiday was joyful, we did not look forward to listening to our parents critique our school report cards.
In those years, Papua New Guinea was administered by Australia. British Commonwealth Nations celebrate Boxing Day on December 26. It has its origins in the alms box in churches to collect donations for the poor. We witnessed our Dad ring in the New Year at midnight with his shotgun. In Madang town, the New Year Chinese dragon dance parade with firecrackers was very exciting for our young eyes to see.
