Christians in Banuroja village, Randangan district, Pohuwato regency, Gorontalo, are thankful for the peaceful atmosphere they have been enjoying ahead of Christmas, which they will celebrate on Thursday.

Although they are a minority group in the village, totaling only 17 families or 62 people, Christians in Banuroja have been able to peacefully conduct religious ceremonies for Christmas.

On many occasions, Christians in the village have held religious ceremonies at Christmas under the safeguard of their own neighbors, who have different religious backgrounds.

'Thus, we don't actually need police guard; still, we appreciate the police's help to secure our Christmas celebrations very much. Thank you,' Rev. Jack Detamor, a Christian leader in Banuroja, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The remote village has been widely acclaimed as a microcosm of Indonesia due to its ethnic and religious diversity.

Jack said religious tolerance among communities in the village had been developed since long ago. During all religious celebrations, villagers worked together to maintain security and public order, he added.

Initially, Banuroja was an acronym for the ethnicities of people who first inhabited the village. They originated from Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, Toraja, Gorontalo and Java.

More recently, Banuroja has been inhabited by transmigrants from several other ethnic groups, such as Minahasa, Sangihe, Bugis, Batak and Lombok. Among these groups, people adhering to three main different religions ' Islam, Hinduism and Christianity ' live in peace and harmony.

Banuroja, which is located around 250 kilometers from Gorontalo, was opened up as a transmigration area in the 1980s.

Ahmad Wahid, 41, a local leader, said Banuroja had implemented principles of religious tolerance since it was founded. The composition of officials handling the village management even reflected a representation of ethnicities and religions.

'We have been 'final' on the issue of religious tolerance and we will pass it to the next generations,' he said. (ebf)