Despite the same underlying spirit, the celebration of Christmas vary in
the vast expanse of India. These variations are
largely because India is a country of diversity. Christian community in
India celebrate Christmas with pomp, gaiety and
devotion. Celebrations of Christmas festival begin on the eve of Christmas
on 24th of December and continue till New Year's
Day. Christians across the country mark the birth of Lord Jesus Christ on
Christmas Day by participating in special masses
organized in churches. Celebrations of Christmas are marked by carols,
cakes, candles and decoration of Christmas Tree. Each
area of India has a distinctly different way of celebrating Christmas. If
in the North East it is celebrated in one way, in
the South West it is done in a different way. In northwest India, the
tribal Christians of the Bhil tribe go out night after
night for a week during Christmas to sing their special carols the whole
night through and tell the story of Christmas to
everybody. In South India, Christians light clay lamps on the rooftops and
walls of their houses, the same way as Hindus
decorate their homes during the Diwali Festival. People also prepare
mouthwatering recipes, such as cakes, cookies, pudding
etc. Christians in the plains decorate mango or banana trees at Christmas
time. Sometimes they also decorate their houses
with mango leaves. In several states of India a popular custom is to
decorate banana or mango tree instead of traditional
pine tree. In some parts of India, small clay oil-burning lamps are used
as Christmas decorations; they are placed on the
edges of flat roofs and on the tops of walls. Another interesting
Christmas tradition in India is decorating the Churches
with poinsettia flower. Churches are decorated with poinsettias and lit
with candles for the Christmas Eve service. However,
for the urban regions the ingredients of the festivities are the familiar
X-mas trees (mostly potted) decorated with stars
and tinsels, toys, plastic fruits, and colorful streamers and illuminated
well are placed in front of the Christian houses,
shops and restaurants. Santa is also seen in some streets and some shops
and departmental stores deploy Santa to entertain
their kid-customers. In the major cities of India caroling processions are
also seen on streets and thoroughfares. Days
before the festival markets take a colorful look as they are decorated
with traditional Christmas trees, stars, images of
Santa, balloons and festoons. In several parts of India, especially in
metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and
Chennai, Christmas Festival has assumed secular overtones and is joyfully
celebrated by people of all religions and
communities. In Mumbai, which has one of the largest Roman Catholic
communities in India, there is a tradition to depict
nativity scenes and decorate home with big stars. Christmas Day called 'Bada
Din' (Big Day) in Hindi is a national holiday
in India and people from all religions join their Christian friends to
make the most of the joyous celebrations.
Though the Hindus and Muslims comprise majority of the population, Xmas is
celebrated with much fanfare in this secular
country. Schools run by Christian missionaries celebrate Christmas by
organizing nativity plays which depict the birth of
Jesus Christ. Carols, songs and dramas make these celebrations even more
joyful. Even non-Christian students enthusiastically
participate in such celebrations.
In Christian households, preparations for Christmas begin at least a month
in advance. People get their homes whitewashed and
indulge in spring cleaning of the house to give it a fresh new look.
Ladies start preparations for the traditional Christmas
cake which is anxiously awaited not just by the entire family but also by
the neighbors!! Hectic shopping activity takes
place as everyone buys new clothes for the festival. Christmas Gifts are
also bought for friends, relatives and kids in the
family. The biggest festival for Christians, Christmas is also the time
for family reunions. People staying in different
cities for job or higher studies rush back to their homes to celebrate
Christmas with their near and dear ones. Indian
Christians do not believe in short services. The main service on Christmas
Day is a midnight one which lasts from two to
three hours, with hundred of communicants and many children all massed
together on the floor. The Day is a national holiday
and people irrespective of their religion enjoy it along with the
Christians.
Most exhilarating celebration of Christmas can be seen in the vivacious
state of Goa. A large number of domestic and
international tourists flock to the beaches Goa during Christmas festival
to watch Goa at its cultural best. One can also
regale in the best of Goa music and dance during Christmas festivities.
Catholics in Goa participate in the traditional
midnight mass services locally called Missa de Galo or Cock Crow as they
go on well into early hours of the morning. The
Carnival, preceding Lent, is the most important event at Goa. This is
similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Goa is one
favorite destination for Christmas celebrations. In fact a very large
number of people from the country as well as abroad
make a beeline to this little coastal state to celebrate their Christmas
holidays in style.
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