Christmas will arrive early in Venezuela. The holiday will begin in October. At least, that’s what President Nicolás Maduro declared. But not everyone feels ready to celebrate.
Maduro appeared on TV Monday night. “It’s September, and it already smells like Christmas,” he said. “This year, as a way of paying tribute to you all . . . I’m going to decree an early Christmas for October 1.”
This isn’t the first early Christmas he’s declared. He did so during the coronavirus pandemic too. But he’s never announced a Christmas this early.
Early Christmas might sound fun. But most Venezuelans don’t feel the holiday cheer.
Maduro has held office since 2013. His government treats people poorly. Today in the once-wealthy nation, citizens struggle to afford basic needs such as food or medicine. Many flee the country for a better life.
This summer’s election didn’t go smoothly either. Maduro says he won the vote. His opponent also claims the victory. His name is Edmundo González. Authorities refuse to show the election results. Instead, a judge put out an arrest warrant for Mr. González. Venezuelans protested. Police arrested over 2,000 people.
Inés Quevedo works as a secretary. She’s the mother of two children. “We are all worried about how we are going to put food on the table,” she says. At Christmas, companies often pay workers an aguinaldo. That’s a holiday bonus (extra money on top of the usual paycheck). But Mrs. Quevedo doesn’t think she will get that bonus this year.
Kids might still get gifts. Two Christmases ago, the government handed out superhero action figures. They were modeled after Maduro.
Maduro likely hopes the holiday will distract people from hardships. But on Christmas, we celebrate the arrival of Jesus. Jesus didn’t come to distract people from bad things. He came to truly help us. He defeated sin and death.
God doesn’t enjoy empty celebrations. He wants rulers to do real justice. In Venezuela, that seems unlikely.
“We’ll see what this Christmas is all about,” says Mrs. Quevedo.
Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. — Isaiah 1:17
