Licensing

Perhaps a First Christmas For Some

This photo is of a Christmas service at the Moneta Japanese Baptist Church in 1915.
For many of the early immigrants, the church and contact with the American Baptist missionaries offered a gateway into American culture, continuing the gradual process of assimilation. Christmas, being a Western Christian holiday, was not celebrated by most Japanese who were Buddhist; therefore, it's probable that many of those in this photo were experiencing their very first Christmas.