Venezuelans will begin the celebration of this year’s Christmas in October, according to the country’s President, Nicolás Maduro.
While the world will be celebrating Christmas on December 25, Maduro told his country’s people in a live television broadcast that the country will begin to celebrate Christmas from October this year.
“It is September and it already smells like Christmas and that is why this year, in homage to you, in gratitude to you, I am going to decree the advancement of Christmas to October 1. Christmas starts on October 1 for everyone. Christmas has arrived, with peace, happiness and security,”he said.
However the citizens were not excited with the pronouncement as they complained of a bad economy and hunger.
“Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, family reunions, parties, and presents. But without money and with this political crisis, who can believe that there will be an early Christmas? We’ll see what this Christmas is all about,” said a 57-year old man.
Inés Quevedo, a 39-year-old secretary and mother of two also said: “We are all worried about how we are going to put food on the table, how we are going to pay for the bus, send the children to school and buy medicine when we need it.
“I don’t think they will improve our salaries or pay us the ‘aguinaldo’ (Christmas bonuses that workers usually receive at the end of the year),