by Lila from Port Vila asks Santa about a scary movie, learns about Vanuatu’s active volcanoes, and hears about the island nation’s blend of kastom and Christian Christmas customs
Dear Santa, my name is Lila and I am nine years old. I live in Port Vila, Vanuatu, where my tata says one of our volcanoes glows so steadily at night that sailors used to use it like a natural lighthouse.
Dear Lila, I have used that very glow to navigate myself on a few foggy nights, and your tata’s story sounds entirely plausible to me.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, have you seen Christmas Evil? My older cousin dared me to watch it, but I think it might be a bit too scary for me right now.
That sounds like exactly the right instinct, Lila. Some movies are better saved for when you are a bit older, and there is no rush at all. Let me tell you instead about the warm, gentle traditions your own island keeps at Christmas.
My second question is about our volcanoes. My teacher says Vanuatu has several active volcanoes people can safely visit. Is that true?
It is, Lila. Vanuatu sits along the volcanically active Pacific Ring of Fire, and several of its volcanoes remain active today, drawing careful, guided visitors. Flying over those glowing craters each Christmas Eve is one of the more dramatic sights on my entire route.
My third question is about kastom. My grandfather blends our traditional kastom customs with Christian Christmas celebrations. Why do those two traditions fit together so well here?
Vanuatu’s rich kastom traditions, its own deep indigenous customs and beliefs, have blended thoughtfully alongside Christianity since missionaries arrived generations ago, creating celebrations that honor both traditions together. I think that kind of respectful blending, rather than replacing one with the other, makes for one of the most genuine kinds of Christmas anywhere in the world.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Lila Kalsakau
Port Vila, Vanuatu
P.S. Thank you for not being scary, unlike that movie.
Very happily, Lila. Frightening was never really my style.
