How Christmas services were different in 1970s Dubai

Veteran worshippers at St Mary’s Catholic Church recall a simpler time

St Mary's Catholic Church in Dubai is preparing for Christmas. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

The church in Oud Metha has been decorated for the festive season

Christmas celebrations in the place of worship have grown larger over the years, with decorations becoming more visible

A worshipper in a quiet moment of prayer at St Mary's Catholic Church in the days before Christmas

The church is quiet for now but thousands of worshippers are expected on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Mass will start early on Christmas Day

St Mary's has been a focal point of the community for decades and in the 1960s, Sheikh Rashid, then Ruler of Dubai, donated land for the church, as well as its bells

A plaque stating how Sheikh Rashid donated the church bells

Christmas decorations and a shrine at St Mary's

A nativity scene at St Mary's

St Mary's is about to enter its busiest time of the year

Two long-time parishioners of St Mary’s Catholic Church have reflected on how Christmas has changed over the years.

Emolyn Bucsit and Joseph James have been attending festive services at Dubai’s oldest Catholic church for decades and have had a front-row seat from which to view the huge transformation that has taken place.

Up to 20,000 people are expected at midnight mass on Sunday and tens of thousands on Monday, Christmas Day, but they both can recall a simpler time when crowds were smaller and festivities more humble.

In the [Christmas Day] service there is a place where we pray for the entire world

Joseph James,
72, parishioner of St Mary's Catholic Church

“Christmas in Dubai those days was celebrated within the walls of the church,” said Mr James, 72, who came to the UAE from India in 1977.

“There were no festivities outside,” said Mr James, who recalls a small town with two main landmarks – Deira’s Clock Tower and the yet-to-open Dubai World Trade Centre.

“Outside there were no Christmas trees or decorations. Even the FM radio station didn't mention it. There was no tree in the compound but inside the church we had a crib."

St Mary’s was built in the late 1960s to cater for the increased numbers of Catholics that were coming to the city.

Sheikh Rashid, then Ruler of Dubai, granted the land for the church and a plaque there today highlights how he also donated the church bells in a spirit of tolerance that underpins the UAE to this day.

St Mary’s was rebuilt in the 1980s on the same site in Oud Metha to cater for the boom and Christmas services continued to be limited within the church.

Emolyn Bucsit arrived in Dubai in 1990 from the Philippines. It feels like home, she says. Chris Whiteoak / The National

But by the time Emolyn Bucsit arrived in Dubai in 1990 from the Philippines, Christmas was starting to be more widely celebrated and brought some much-needed comfort to those away from home.

“My first Christmas was a homesick Christmas,” said Ms Bucsit, 67. “I came not expecting to have a church here. But you don’t feel [being homesick] because the church was active.”

By the late 1990s, Christmas celebrations became more common across the city and, while not “grand” like today, Ms Bucsit said the “church was vibrant, with the choir singing Christmas carols”.

Cribs were now displayed outside the church while a small tree had been erected outside by the late 1990s.

"When you enter the gates of the church, you know there is a festival," said Mr James. "You can see the giant Christmas tree. You can see the decorations all around. A festival look is there."

The number attending has now surged since those early days, in line with Dubai's population boom.

From a few thousand attending services that Mr James recalls in the early days, there could be up to 20,000 people at St Mary's for midnight mass on Christmas Eve alone.

Joseph James is originally from India and has been coming to St Mary's since the 1970s. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Worshippers will throng the church, school and halls, and spill outside to the football field and church compound.

Tens of thousands of people are also expected on Christmas Day and TV screens have been installed to allow the devoted outside watch the service. Close to 20 masses will be held over the two days in several languages.

"We understand this is not a Christian country," said Mr James. "I don’t think there will be any other place in the world where you can celebrate Christmas with so much security and so much happiness."

With the region going through a difficult moment, particularly the Gaza war, general prayers for peace are also expected at Christmas services.

“In the [Christmas Day] service there is a place where we pray for the entire world,” said Mr James. “We pray for the Rulers. We pray for people of UAE. We pray for peace in the world. We pray where there are problems, peace is established.”

At St Mary’s on Thursday, the finishing touches were being applied to the decorations. People snapped photographs of the large Christmas tree, while festive lights and tinsel adorned the walls.

“It has been a huge change from very small numbers,” said Ms Bucsit. “Sometimes you don’t feel homesick because you are happy and as if you are at home.”

Christmas past in the UAE – in pictures

John Jacobs celebrating Christmas in Sharjah at point from 1976 to 1983. Mr Jacobs, from the Netherlands, said he, along with his wife and three children, created a real christmas ambiance in their house. Photo: Truus Jacobs

Christmas at the John Jacobs house, Sharjah, 1976 to 1983. Seen here is the family's nanny, Pathma, beside the tree. Photo: Truus Jacobs

Michelle Brown and Mark Lloyd in 1987. The musical duo performed at the Dubai Hilton then. It was a time when hotels were starting to embrace the festive spirit. Photo: Michelle Brown

Hilton’s brochure for Christmas in 1989. Photo: Michelle Brown

Some of festive events at Hilton in 1989 including the tree-lighting ceremony. Photo: Michelle Brown

Michelle Brown and Mark Lloyd taken in 1992. Photo: Michelle Brown

A vehicle wrapped like a Christmas gift in front of Dubai's Burjuman shopping centre, in December 1996. Getty Images

Christmas decorations at a mall in Dubai in December 2000. AFP

A Christmas tree at the Mina A'Salam Hotel beside Dubai's Burj Al Arab Hotel in 2004. AFP

Displays became more lavish as the years went by, such as this one in Dubai in 2006. AFP

Christians have long been able to attend Christmas mass in the UAE, such as this one at St Mary's Catholic Church in Dubai, on December 25, 2007. AFP

The Christmas tree at one of Dubai's main shopping malls on December 25, 2007. AFP

Santa hats and camels on Jumeirah Beach in Dubai in 2013. Christopher Pike / The National

A giant Santa Claus poster at Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai on December 25, 2018. AFP

Visitors at Wafi Mall in Dubai on December 21, 2017. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Santa Claus makes an appearance at the Expo City Dubai Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in December 2022. Pawan Singh / The National