Yes there really is a Christmas Island! Actually, there are two Christmas Islands!
One is in Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean and one is administered by Australia in
the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean Christmas Island does not belong on this page
but to clear up confusion and in the spirit of Christmas...
The Other Christmas Island (of Australia/Indian Ocean)
One of the Christmas Islands is not in Micronesia. It is located in the
Indian Ocean and is adminsistrated by Australia. It flies the Australian flag.
On the 25th of December, Christmas Day, in 1643, an island off the coast of
Australia was discovered and because of this, the island was appropriately
named Christmas Island by Captain William Mynors. Christmas is celebrated
on this island as is the Chinese New Year. Ironically, only 17.7% of the population of Christmas Island claims to be Christian
whereas Budhism is the leading religion at 36.1%, followed by Muslem at 25.4%. Thus
the religion for which it is named is in the minority.
As the variety of religion's suggests, the population of the Australian
Christmas Island is made of many races including Caucasian, Chinese, Malay,
and Indian. Dialects of Chinese, Malay and Tamil Indian are also spoken. There is a strong Australian influence throughout
the island.
Christmas Island (of Micronesia/Pacific Ocean)
Yes, there is another Christmas Island and it is located in Micronesia, so this
page is NOT a mistake. How did this Christmas Island get its name, you ask?
On the 24th of December, Christmas Eve, in 1777, an island in micronesia in the Pacific
Ocean was discovered by Captain Cook. And so named Christmas Island. True to its name of Christmas, the island
has been an island of peace. No fighting occurred on Christmas Island
during World War II; however, it was a staging area for the Pacific theater,
and the roads and airfield created for these purposes are quite extensive.
Today a Japanese downrange satellite tracking station is located on the
island. The island received its independence from Great Britain as part of
Kiribati in 1979. The native Christmas Islanders are mostly of Gilbertese
decent. Most of the local people speak English although the native
language is I-Kiribati. |
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Geologically, the oldest atoll in the world's oceans is Christmas Island, lying just 119 miles north of the equator
in the Line Islands. Aboard the Discovery, the astronauts had one of the best views ever of Christmas
Island, the old atoll more often than not being covered with towering cumulus clouds. The lagoon is
nearly completely filled by coral growth. Only a shallow entrance exists on the northwest end, an entrance
that is so small that supply ships during World War II lay offshore and unloaded supplies on a lighter to
get them ashore.
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| Coconut groves abound throughout the old lagoon; on the southern tip, where the Gilbert
Islanders live; and on the short southern tip on the east side, where the main airstrip on the island is outlined
on the wide, sandy beach. As is typical of tropical islands that maintain large old groves of coconut palms,
visitors to Christmas Island are always impressed by the enormous land crabs that guard every road and pathway.
This unusual tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,
some 1300 miles south of Hawaii, is part of the
Republic of Kiribati, known previously as the Gilbert Islands.
Christmas Island has the largest land area of any coral atoll in
the world (140 square miles).
The highest elevation is about 12 feet, and the airport is at the 5-foot
elevation. With its large colonies of sea birds, vast reefs, endless flats,
lagoons, and surrounding ocean, it offers excellent opportunities for observing
bird and marine life as well as outstanding fishing.
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The holiday season here is much like the states. The merchants here are
just as busy stocking up and decorating to exploit the season. The
Japanese tourists come by the thousands to see the lights by the hotels.
The local people are mostly Roman Catholic and celebrate much like they
do in Mexico. The U.S. Military and other "haolies" (the Hawaiian term we
use here for white people) wish they could go home to the states and
spend time with their loved ones. The people from the islands of
Micronesia who come here to work in the hotels celebrate much like we do,
but not to the same level of intensity. They may wonder why we make such
a fuss over all this.
And yet the fuss has a purpose. We know that many do not understand the
real meaning of Christmas and some even rebel against it by promoting
Santa Clause in competition to Jesus. Still, we try to capitalize on this
season as an opportunity to get through to people what Jesus is really
about. We have the parties and social gatherings in our Pacific Islands
Bible College and Faith Presbyterian Reformed Church. But Faith Bookstore
(the largest bookstore west of Hawaii, east of the Orient and north of
the equator) is our way to get the message across to the most people. We
offer books and gifts which carry the message of Jesus to many who would
otherwise never be exposed to it. Instead of allowing the world to
exploit the birth of Jesus for its own greed, we exploit their greed for
the gain of Jesus. In this way, Jesus is Lord!
So our celebration is not so different from yours. We hope and pray that
all Christians around the world will make Jesus to become really the Lord
of their place and culture.
Rev. Hendrik De Vries
Postscript:
Thanks for your concern for missions and for our little spot in the wide
world of water in the far side of the Pacific Ocean. We really appreciate
the prayers of our friends.
Super typhoon "Keith" just passed by a couple weeks ago. I emailed our
supporters and asked for prayer. Within a couple hours of that message
the eye of the storm starting arcing toward the north. Of course, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas was hurt quite badly since the
winds were over 195 miles per hour at the eye-wall. They now have help
from the U.S. Government. Both we and they have built in the past for
typhoons. The building codes requires concrete roofs and wind ratings of
175 miles per hour for windows, doors, etc. The result is that we hardly
get a mention in the news media when awesome storms pass over our area
since little damage occurs. We thank the Lord for His provision.
11/13/97
Central Valley Christian School's Christmas Page