Christmas In India
Christmas, the welcoming of the new year is a major festival in the western world. In recent years as the world is becoming more global and getting connected to each other by exchanging ideas and cultures, India also celebrates Christmas as a major festival in spite of relatively less population of Christians than others. Particularly, the north-east states of India including Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, etc. have high density of Christians.
The last week of the year including Christmas eve and Christmas day is a compulsory holiday for everyone around the world including India to relieve themselves from the stress they have gone through throughout the year. People staying in different cities and countries studying or working visit their homes like we college students do to bond with their family and friends and celebrate their hard work through the year and welcome the new year together setting their new year resolutions.
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.
In India, Father Christmas or Santa Claus delivers presents to children from a horse and cart. He’s known as ‘Christmas Baba’ in Hindi meaning Father of Christmas festival. Children wait the entire year to receive their gifts from Santa Claus. Midnight mass is a very important service for Christians in India, especially Catholics. The whole family will walk to the mass and this will be followed by a massive feast of different delicacies, (mostly curries) and the giving and receiving of presents. Churches in India are decorated with Poinsettia flowers and candles for the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass service.
On Christmas Eve, Christians in Goa (popular holiday destination in India) hang out giant paper lanterns, in the shape of stars, between the houses so that the stars float above you as you walk down the road. The main Christmas meal is also eaten on Christmas Eve and is also ‘western’ with roast turkey or chicken being popular. After the meal, Christians head to Church for a Midnight mass service. After the service the church bells ring to announce that Christmas Day has arrived.
In north-west India, the tribal Christians of the Bhil folk, go out night after night for a week at Christmas to sing their own carols the whole night through. They go to surrounding villages singing to people and telling the Christmas story.
In South West India, in the state of Kerala, traditional Catholics fast from 1st to 24th of December — until the midnight service. Every house is decorated with a Christmas star.
Therefore, with globalization and liberalization, different cultures are accepting and connecting with each other. Different festivals are being celebrated all around the world.
