By IANS
New Delhi : Mellifluous notes of carols, thrilled voices of children enjoying themselves, wafting aroma of cakes, elaborately packed gifts, richly decorated Christmas trees and cheerful wishes of a ‘Merry Christmas’ ringing everywhere. Christmas celebrations across the country Tuesday were filled with heart-warming images such as these, and much more.
Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christmas festivities began Monday night with people preparing for the grand celebrations the following day with some last-minute baking of cakes and cookies, and decoration of their homes and the Christmas trees with shimmers and adornments such as candies, miniature Santa Clauses, bells and streamers.
The traditional midnight mass in the churches across the country saw people dressed in their best to come together for some soulful carol singing.
As in the capital, thousands of Christians in India’s northeast joined the midnight mass in churches across the region to pray for peace and well being of the human race.
With church bells pealing across the hills and dales of the region, and throngs of people packing churches to join in festive prayer and song in celebration of Jesus’ birth, the northeast was snowed under with yuletide spirit.
“Christmas is the day when people tend to forgive and forget everything and simply rejoice. This is also the day when people pray for peace and prosperity of the state, the nation, and for the entire human race at large,” Thomas Menamparampil, Archbishop of Guwahati, told IANS.
Park Street, the sunset boulevard of Kolkata, was awake the whole night as the eastern metropolis threw a big Christmas party with cakes, carols and a chorus of prayer in the churches and Mother House, the global headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity (MoC) founded by Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa.
Joey Joseph, who works in an NGO in Delhi, said that although she didn’t go for the midnight mass, she and her family went to church in the morning.
“Since I am a Protestant, we don’t go for midnight mass in the church like the Catholic Christians do. But early morning we all go to the church to pray to the Lord, thanking him for everything and seeking his blessings.
“After that, my family and I visit an orphanage close to our home. Christmas celebrations without helping those who are in need don’t hold any meaning for me. That’s why we take clothes, chocolates and a whole lot of other goodies for the kids there and spend some time with them before returning home for the feast,” Joseph said.
Kerala made an innovative statement with the holy crib on Christmas.
Most of them were different from the usual baby in the manger. They were full of little creative touches much to the delight of those who flocked to the cribs after the midnight mass.
“I was entrusted to make the crib by the parish council. We started preparing two weeks ago,” said Baby George, a parish council member at St Joseph’s Church, Devagiri, Kozhikode.
This elaborate crib, spread across nearly 600 square feet in front of the church, was not the usual stable and manger. It depicted biblical themes from Annunciation to the birth of Christ.
During Christmas, churches and most Christian homes in Kerala put up their own cribs depicting the birth of Christ. In churches, making cribs is an assiduous task, attended by all parish members.
After attending the church in the morning, people then made way for the Christmas feast, a gastronome’s delight which is awaited eagerly by all.
Roasted chicken or turkey, meat pies, smoked fish, plum cakes, chocolate cookies and endless wine, the Christmas feast is an elaborate affair and offers much more than can be mentioned.
At Bow Barracks in Kolkata, home to 132 Anglo-Indian families made famous by Anjan Dutta’s celluloid adaptation of the life in the quarters in recent film “Bow Barracks Forever”, wine flowed freely in celebration of Christmas.
“Christmas without home-made port wine is no Christmas. Our mothers and grandmothers used to make them and Kolkata was once famous for wines brewed by Anglo Indian women in the city,” said Gillian Rosemary Hart, a former legislator in West Bengal Assembly.
Bow Barracks is known for its assortment of fruit wines. Almost every home, be it Anglo Indians, Christians from Goa or the resident Chinese and the Bengali population, brew their own wine and bake their own fruit cakes for Christmas.
Kolkata is also famous for its old-world confectioneries, special Christmas cakes and cookies.
Goa, the holiday taker’s paradise which is thronged with tourists, lived up to the Christmas spirit similarly with wine, sea food and lots of cheer.
“We haven’t stopped partying since the past two days!” said Anjum Das, a BPO professional who is holidaying in Goa with her friends.
“We have literally camped on the beach. We go to a party, have lots of delicious sea food and wash it all down with port wine, jive to some great music and by the time that ends, it’s time to go to another party!
“On Christmas eve we went to a cathedral and today went for a Christmas brunch. Our spirits are as high as ever,” Das said.
People also exchanged gifts on this day. Kids were especially thrilled at discovering their gifts under Christmas trees in the morning or in the socks hanging near the fireplace, believed to have been left quietly by Santa Claus at night.
“I loved the gift which Santa left for me. I had written to him for a doll and he kept his promise,” said nine-year-old Sonya with a shy smile.
In Orissa though, not all was quite merry there. In Phulbari district, a communally sensitive area, there was a clash between local Hindus and the Christian groups leaving four people injured.
However, things were brought under control later and the spirit of Christmas enveloped all.