Finding 'Dubai family', keeping traditions alive: How UAE residents celebrate Christmas

On Christmas Day, UAE expats tried to keep the traditions of their home country alive. While some hosted dinners at their homes, others tried to create new traditions for their multicultural families. 

For Filipina expat Cha Baron, Christmas is about Noche Buena. When celebrating the festive season in the UAE, far away from her family, she tried to keep that tradition alive. “Noche Buena is Christmas Eve, and it’s very special to us because it’s about family, love, and togetherness,” she said. 

Noche Buena, which literally translates into 'Good Night', is a practice commonly celebrated especially among Latina, Hispanic, Filipino and Spanish families. They usually attend Christmas mass at the church and gather at home to eat a feast at midnight. 

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Cha and her house mates hosted dinner for their friends and family to recreate the togetherness in Dubai. “Our family is back home in the Philippines, and we miss them deeply, especially during this time. Being far away is hard, but here in Dubai we’ve found people who feel like family, and celebrating together helps fill that space in our hearts.”

Homes, malls and other tourist destinations have put up several decorations and events to celebrate Christmas in the UAE. Some residents went out of their way to decorate their homes. Meanwhile, several destinations across the country put up massive trees to ring in the festive mode. At the Expo City Dubai, a massive winter wonderland awaits families, complete with creative workshops, twinkling lights and falling snow.

New traditions

For Korean expat Ewha Kim, Christmas was a family holiday when she was back home. “In places like Myeongdong or Gwanghwamun, they would set up these big Christmas displays, and families would go see them on Christmas Eve,” she recalled. “We’d listen to carols, head to a family restaurant, and have dinner together. It was tradition to exchange gifts. Couples would often confess their feelings to each other at this time as well.” 

Ewha and her husband Chung Han Lee have been living in Abu Dhabi for 12 years and it has become their home now. For Christmas, she took her son Sam to the Liwa festival so that he could experience a cold festive season.

“In Korea, Christmas is tied to cold weather, walking outside in the winter air, and that festive feeling,” she said. “I sometimes miss that, so this year we went to the Liwa Desert. Obviously, it’s not as cold as Korea, but being out there gave us a sense of space and a break from routine that somehow brought back that feeling of doing something special. Our way of celebrating Christmas has changed quite a bit during our time here. At the core, it is still about sharing good food and exchanging gifts. It has now naturally turned into our own Abu Dhabi–style Christmas.”

For Dubai resident Melissa, it is a quiet Christmas in Dubai with her son Tyler as her husband travels for work. She spent Christmas Eve dinner with her family friends, dressing in matching pyjamas with Tyler. She said although she enjoys Christmas in Dubai, she misses the white snowy festival in her hometown of Vancouver. 

“I definitely miss being back home,” she said. “My mother makes the most amazing food at this time of year including traditional sweets, milk cream and coconut sweets. But now, home for me is Dubai and Vancouver. I miss my mom and dad, my sister, aunts, uncles and niece and nephew who are in Vancouver. But I am glad I have my husband and son here. So, in a way, my heart is always in both places.”