by Ibrahim from Lahore asks Santa about a Christmas Carol movie, learns about K2, and hears about Pakistan’s small but proud Christmas tradition, Bara Din
Dear Santa, my name is Ibrahim and I am nine years old. I live in Lahore, Pakistan, where my nani says our old city streets are so full of color and food smells that a short walk can take an entire afternoon.
Dear Ibrahim, I have taken that exact walk myself, and your nani’s warning about the time it takes is entirely accurate.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, is there a Christmas Carol movie? My Christian friend at school told me the story and I wanted to know if I could watch it too.
There are several versions over the years, Ibrahim, all telling the same story of a man learning to be kinder and more generous. It is a story worth knowing regardless of which holiday you personally celebrate, since kindness is a lesson that belongs to everyone.
My second question is about our mountains. My teacher says one of the tallest and most difficult mountains in the whole world is actually in northern Pakistan. Is that true?
It is, Ibrahim. K2, in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan, is the second-highest mountain on Earth and considered one of the most challenging to climb. Flying near those towering, icy peaks is always a humbling part of my route.
My third question is, why does my Christian friend get a public holiday for Christmas, called Bara Din here, even though most of Pakistan is Muslim like my family?
Bara Din, meaning the Great Day, is celebrated as a public holiday in Pakistan, honoring the country’s Christian minority, and it happens to fall on the same date as the birthday of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, making it a doubly significant day nationally. I think it says something meaningful when a country makes official room to honor a smaller community’s most important celebration.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Ibrahim Khan
Lahore, Pakistan
P.S. Will you visit my friend’s house even though ours is different?
Every year, Ibrahim, with equal care for every good and kind child on my list.
