Christmas in Azerbaijan

I was definitely NOT looking forward to spending the holidays here in Azerbaijan, this is not just because Azerbaijan is a Muslim country and does not celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but also because I have spent two other holiday seasons away from home and although I was in Germany where Christmas is celebrated- and quite tastefully- if you ask me, both were pretty depressing. I looked for vacation escapes but unfortunately my budget did not allow for it.

However, after some contemplation I thought that maybe being here wouldn’t be so bad. The season would pass quietly by without notice because: a. the climate wouldn’t feel like Christmas, being so much closer to the equator b. there would be no giant blow up lawn ornaments c. there would be no overplayed cheesy Christmas carols.
Unfortunately all of these assumptions were false.

Suddenly the weather here turned significantly colder and we actually got some snow last week. But the greatest surprise to me was that Christmas is celebrated here- in a way. Its not considered Christmas- but its part of the New Years celebration. There are ‘New Years Trees’ with bells, lights and awful metallic garland. Santa Clause doesn’t have elves but rather he has a little female helper, “The Snow Girl”. All of the shops paint their windows and the sounds of jingle bells fills the air- well it fills the air next to lit Christmas trees as many of the light strands also play music (if you can call it that)- and Jingle Bells is the most popular song. There are even Gingerbread houses and the best thing yet...yes, even in Azerbaijan,there are giant blow up lawn ornaments.
So have no worries my friends and family! Even though it is called by a different name the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in Azerbaijan!

The details of how I spent my holiday are soon to follow. But first this little taste of the holiday festivities as celebrated in Azerbaijan!!

Happy Holidays!