MERRY CHRISTMAS

Posted On December 23, 2020

Merry Christmas ! Come December and it is the season for carols , colorfully decorated shops , and an air of eager anticipation everywhere. You guessed it right !  Its Christmas time!

Most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25th according to the Gregorian calendar.  However, part of the Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25th of the older Julian calendar, This corresponds to January 7th in the Gregorian calendar.

According to the story of the Nativity of Jesus, when Joseph and Mary arrived in the city of Bethlehem , they had no place to stay. Therefore, they took a shelter in a barn. According to popular legend a bright star in the sky signified the birth of Jesus . Wise men from different parts of the world understood its significance and followed the star to reach Bethlehem. Very thoughtfully, they brought gifts for the baby and his parents. After Jesus was  born , angels proclaimed this good news to the local shepherds. In turn they sang and made merry to welcome the Holy Spirit to earth. They further disseminated the information far and wide. Since then, this day has been celebrated as Christmas.

Since I went to a Christian missionary school, I have experienced Christmas celebrations first hand. Let me now  take you through my experiences of this festival. The month of December transforms into an absolute Christmas wonderland with twinkling lights, traditional decorations, and Christmas songs  playing everywhere.

Our teacher told us that The  English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. This story highlights the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind.  So Christmas carols became very popular and the singing practices would add to the festive mood. Few days before Christmas , we children would go around the neighborhood in groups, singing carols , We would eagerly await the goodies which would inevitably follow.

The other big event of the Christmas celebration was bringing the traditional Christmas tree home and decorating it with colorful lights and ornaments. An angel or a star is often placed at the top of the tree. To the children’s delight , colorfully wrapped gifts would be placed on and around the tree on the eve of Christmas. Many of my friends would decorate cribs and place it next to the Christmas tree. Most would also  hang star-shaped lanterns outside the house.

On the eve of Christmas everyone would get ready and enjoy a Christmas eve dinner . Then they would all head to church for the midnight mass service where the ring of the church bells announced the arrival of the Christmas Day.  All the men would wear their best suits and women would flaunt their new gowns.  After attending the midnight mass, the celebrations would begin. Everyone would wish each other Merry Christmas. On this day churches are extravagantly decorated with Christmas adornments like flowers, aromatic candles, and glittering lights.

We all grew up with this all-time favourite song “Jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way Santa Claus is coming along in a one horse open sleigh” . The legend Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named  Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle who became the patron saint of children. Today, he is thought of as the jolly old man in red who flies from home to home on Christmas Eve. He flies on his magic sleigh led by his most famous reindeer Rudolph to deliver presents to children . Children believe Santa enters their home through the chimney to deliver the goodies. Like every other kid, I also used to wait for Santa to give me a present. Little did I know that it was my parents who would keep my gift in the sock. In India, Father Christmas or Santa Claus is fondly referred to as ‘Christmas Baba’ in Hindi and ‘Christmas Thaatha’ in Tamil.

On Christmas Day , people visit friends and family , wish Merry Christmas , exchange gifts and then enjoy the much awaited traditional Christmas  lunch. How can I not mention the Christmas plum cake or fruit cake. Its so delicious that you definitely cannot stop with one piece.

We all celebrate Christmas in the true festive spirit of love, forgiveness, and togetherness. I hope that this glimpse into the magnificent celebration of Christmas has truly imbibed in you the sprirt of the famous adage ‘Unity in Diversity’.