KUCHING, Dec 8 — About 10,00 Christians from various denominations participated today in a colourful annual Kuching Christmas Parade in the city of Kuching.
They came in all sorts of bright shirts; some were wearing traditional costumes of Sarawak natives.
The participants, who included children and elderly persons, were accompanied by uniformed voluntary organisations, such as the Scouts and school bands.
Floats decorated like church buildings and Christmas trees were also part of the parade.
“The parade is a joy and peaceful as you see, not just this evening but also in the previous years,” explained Pastor Nicholas Ningkau of the Sarawak Grace Assembly Church of Kuching when met by Malay Mail.
“When Christians take part in the parade, it has always been peaceful as we sing Christmas songs,” he said.
An excited Tiong Hie Mey said, “We are lucky this evening because the weather is kind to us,” as she, like others, brought a raincoat since Kuching has been experiencing rains over the past few evenings.
The 4km parade started from Kuching City South Council’s Jubilee ground before proceeding to Jalan Padungan, then Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Temple Street-Wayang Street-Jalan Tabuan -Jalan Ban Hock and back to the Jubilee ground.
The participating churches were the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church SCAC, Methodist Church SIAC, BEM (SIB) Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Salvation Army, Sarawak Baptist Church, Blessed Church, Sarawak Grace Assembly Kuching, Hope Church Kuching, Calvary Family Church, Good News Fellowship, City Harvest Church, and Fellowship of Evangelical Students (FES).
The parade was organised by Association of Churches of Sarawak and Kuching Ministers’ Fellowship, while Methodist Church SCAC was the hosting church.
