By IANS
New Delhi : After a night filled with carol singing, Tuesday morning dawned, bright and sunny, with people preparing for celebrations, complete with prayers and elaborate feasts in sync with the spirit of Christmas.
The festivities that started on Christmas eve Monday night saw people, dressed in their finest, attend the midnight mass in churches and the cathedrals, singing carols in praise of the Lord.
The Christmas tree, an almost must-have in every household no matter how big or small, sat pretty with twinkling lights, candies and other decorations adorning it. And of course, the symbolic electric star, shone bright atop every house.
“Christmas is one occasion we wait for with baited breath throughout the year. It’s a time for cheer and festivities celebrating the birth of Lord Jesus.
“Why we look forward to it particularly is that this is one time when my entire family comes together. Cousins, aunts, uncles, relatives, friends…the house teems with people. That’s the spirit of Christmas, of celebrating together,” said Sophie Mathew, an entrepreneur.
On Christmas day, people visited the church for prayers in the morning before proceeding for the feasts.
“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,” Joey Joseph, who works in an NGO, told IANS.
Roasted chicken or turkey, meat pies, smoked fish, plum cakes, chocolate cookies and endless wine, the Christmas feast is an elaborate affair which is a gastronome’s delight and offers much more than mentioned.
“I look forward to the feast the most,” chirped nine-year-old Sonya flaunting a bright pink dress with a big white bow.
“Days before Christmas, my mom and aunts whip up the batter for cakes, cookies and tarts, which fills the house with an irresistible aroma once they are out of the oven.
“But I try not to eat too much then or else the excitement for this day would be killed,” she said with all seriousness.
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.
With the sun shining on the capital, the spirit of Christmas enveloped all as people laughed while helping themselves to the variety of fare served in Christmas brunches everywhere and wishing each other ‘Merry Christmas’.