by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Tens of thousands of Christians have been celebrating Christmas and the New Year in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, defying concerns about rising Islamic extremism in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
Additionally, a large Christian gathering was planned for Monday, with Indonesia’s president expected to attend, organizers said.
Large crowds of worshippers gathered in and around Jakarta during the Christmas season, including at churches across the city of some 11 million people and at government-backed public events.
Christian leaders reported packed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, with celebrations continuing into the year-end holiday period. Thousands also packed a Jakarta stadium to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Worthy News observed.
It comes at a time when local evangelical leaders have told Worthy News that a growing number of Muslims are turning to the Christian faith, often through personal contacts, small fellowships, or private house churches.
They cautioned that most converts practice discreetly due to social tensions surrounding conversion from Islam, but added that interest in Christianity is increasing, including among younger Indonesians.
NATIONAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Despite opposition toward church activities from Muslim groups in several parts of the country, Indonesia’s 2025 National Christmas Celebration was scheduled to take place Monday, January 5, at Tennis Indoor Senayan, a major indoor sports and events arena in Jakarta, organizers said.
Thousands of Christian worshippers from across the country were expected to attend, said General Chairperson of the National Christmas Celebration Committee Maruarar Sirait.
The official stressed that the event would “emphasize simplicity” in line “with the wishes of President Prabowo Subianto,” who was due to participate.
“We have agreed to keep the celebration simple, but focus instead on increasing social assistance,” he said, adding that organizers plan “to provide educational aid of 10 million Indonesian rupiah (about $650) per recipient and distribute 10,000 packages of basic necessities.”
Funding for the celebration “comes entirely from community fundraising without the use of state-owned enterprise funds. This Christmas celebration utilizes funds collected from the mutual cooperation of all religious communities,” Maruarar added.
The theme of the event is “The Presence of Jesus for the Family,” chosen “to address economic, psychological, and social pressures facing Indonesian families, including online gambling and debt,” officials said.
THOUSANDS RECEIVING AID
Organizers invited thousands of participants, including church ushers from the Jakarta area, Protestant and Catholic teachers, Sunday school children, orphans, students, and hundreds of people with disabilities and needy widows.
The gathering followed large interfaith prayers and festive celebrations, with Christian participation forming part of the broader Natal–Tahun Baru (Christmas–New Year) holiday season.
Not everyone appreciates these events: Last month, Christians in Indonesia’s West Java province were weighing their options after angry Muslims blocked Christmas services, sources said.
Members of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) were prevented from accessing a prayer facility near the Green Cikarang housing complex in Bekasi Regency, east of Jakarta, Worthy News reported.
Separately, in West Java’s Cipta Graha Permai housing complex at Tegar Beriman street in the town of Cibinong, Muslims blocked the road “to the house of the pastor” of the local “Pentecostal Church in Indonesia (GPdI) Tegar Beriman,” Christians said.
Angry crowds reportedly kept church members from attending a Christmas service. However, the latest Christian gatherings were aimed at countering those sentiments.
MORE SUBDUED EVENTS
Yet New Year 2026 events in Jakarta and other regions were noticeably subdued and reflective following deadly floods and landslides in parts of Indonesia that killed hundreds of people nationwide in recent weeks.
Authorities reduced fireworks displays and encouraged prayer and solidarity — a tone welcomed by church leaders and individual Christians, who said it reflected “national compassion” while still affirming “hope” for the year ahead.
Indonesia is home to an estimated 29 million Christians, or about 10 percent of the population, according to available data.
While rights groups continue to document restrictions on worship in several regions, the large, peaceful gatherings in Jakarta highlighted Christianity’s continued public presence in the Asian nation.
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