Gelsenkirchen.
How do migrants celebrate Christmas in Gelsenkirchen? It will be a happy, emotional and sad celebration.
It is the festival of festivals, the highlight of the year for so many Gelsenkirchen residents: Christmas, every year. There are many pictures of Christmas, contemplation, beautiful moments with loved ones, gifts, delicious food, a Christmas tree – all this and much more make the holidays real celebration days. And how do people with an immigrant background celebrate? What does Christmas look like for you?
Christmas: How do migrants celebrate in Gelsenkirchen?
“I’m very happy when everyone sits together,” reports Seniha Ahmedova. This also means that the 51-year-old and her family don’t celebrate the festivals as they come, but always together. Everyone is together at Christmas, religion doesn’t matter, Christians and Muslims are happy and have a good time. On the days that follow, too. There won’t be a tree, because they and their loved ones don’t actually celebrate Christmas itself, but rather life and togetherness. Friendship and family are important to her – especially at Christmas. “I want to give away a piece of happiness,” says the Bulgarian, touching her heart and touched. Because a lot of good things happened to her, in her life and especially in Gelsenkirchen. Christmas is also a festival for everyone.
Jon Virgil Alin was born in Romania, the 29-year-old will celebrate with his family in Rotthausen, his wife, eight children, his father-in-law, brother-in-law, and when asked about the special nature of Christmas, he immediately thinks of the food. There are delicacies and delicacies that do not exist in normal everyday life. “We’ve gotten used to celebrating here,” he answers when asked what he misses when thinking about Christmas at home. One thing above all: “The family is missing.” And he looks at his children, who are excitedly awaiting the festival. It is also worth celebrating for this, just to see the joy of the children. There are also presents, because: Christmas is also a celebration for the children.
Cristina Turcitu celebrates with her family, with her children, everyone together. At the 25-year-old, who has lived in Germany for six years, there are dishes from the traditional Romanian kitchen, there are hearty and sweet things, cakes and roulades. Everything revolves around the children who are already counting the days. And what does she long for when she thinks of Christmas in her home country? “I feel at home here, my mother is here too. I’m not sad that I can’t celebrate in Romania,” says the young woman.
And then we meet a woman from the Ukraine, from Kharkiv, which no longer exists like this. She doesn’t want to read her name in the newspaper, she wants to talk. She managed to escape in April and has been living in the city since May of this year. The 60-year-old has months and days behind her that can hardly be described in words. Her son was able to flee with his family – she is very happy about that – he now lives in Beckhausen. But she bears this burden heavily, you can clearly see that.
Throughout her life, she has celebrated Christmas twice a year: once the Protestant Christmas because her mother is German, and then the Orthodox Christmas in January. And this year, how will the festival she celebrates be, exactly ten months after the start of the war? Tears well up in her eyes. It will certainly be a very different Christmas than ever before…
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