Moose Jaw’s Chinese community is bringing the true meaning of the Christmas season to life by putting on a play about the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Chinese Christian Group of Moose Jaw is hosting the play on Friday, Dec. 23, at 3 p.m. at Minto United Church, which is on the corner of Oxford Street and Seventh Avenue Northwest. The free event will also feature drinks and treats after the hour-long performance.
The theatrical play is based on the birth of the Christ child in the Gospel of Luke. Fifteen children have taken on various roles, from Mary and Joseph to angels to wise men and shepherds. Sadly, there are no actual sheep, camels or other animals.
The Christian group comprises Chinese immigrants from mainland China who have moved to The Friendly City during the past five years — and some within the past few months.
This year many gathered to pray about how they could become more involved in the community, reach out to residents and potentially evangelize. While the group held a banquet last year at Christmas, they wanted to do more — and decided to host a play about Jesus’ birth, something they had never done before.
This year the play is in Mandarin, but organizers hope to feature an English play in the future. However, the story and visuals should help non-Mandarin speakers overcome the language barrier to appreciate the performance.
“If this is a big success, we want to keep it for next year,” said director Charlie Zhang.
Besides a Christmas play, the group is also considering hosting a theatrical performance of Harry Potter, he added. That would be English, enabling more children — including non-Chinese — to participate.
