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Although Christians in India celebrate Christmas on the pattern adopted worldwide, INDIA is a secular nation and houses every religion in the world. Christians are a minority here and form only 2.3 per cent of the population. But that fact in no way lessens the observance of the festival. Although Christians in India celebrate Christmas broadly on the pattern adopted worldwide, they do not fail to give it a distinctive Indian touch. Moreover, the occasion is celebrated not only by Christians, but by people of other religions as well. On a more serious note, the concentration of Christian faith is more in the north-eastern hills and along the western, southern coastline of the country. These areas add their cultural flavor to their faith and the result is one cosmopolitan celebration of the birth of the Saviour and of family values. There is a lot of variety in the carousing. For example, Christmas festivities in Nagaland are quite different from the celebrations in Kerala.
Nagaland is very much inspired by Western celebrations of Christmas, particularly as the American missionaries were the main force behind the Christianisation of the Nagas. As the custom is in the West, Nagas also have colourfully decorated Christmas trees. But for the Nagaland residents, Christmas is mainly a community event and is celebrated in a form of public feasting known as Lengkhawn Zai, which has its roots from the pre-Christian society. The Christian communities in Kerala incorporate Kolattam (stick dance), dramas and skits, Harikathas ( Hindu phrase for telling God’s stories) and songs on the birth and life of Jesus as an integral part of the celebrations. They are staged, recited or sung through the night. Local sweets like athirasam and achchappam are equally popular with doughnuts and plum cakes. Recently, the Christian Church in India has taken to Indian symbols and naturally a lot of Kerala Christians use small clay oil-burning lamps as decorations, like Diwali diyas. The Tamil and Kannada Christians take up some of the Hindu customs like drawing the kolam (known as rangoli in North India), a symbol of religious reverence. Crib-making is an important part of their celebrations which brings out the best in terms of artistic value and creativity, re-enacting the birth of Christ. "We make all the Christmas delicacies like sanas, kalkal, ghee rice and idlis cooked in coconut milk and dry grapes," says Ananda Thomas a Kannada Christian. Among the Konkani families residing predominantly in the coastal belt of South India, sharing of kusvaar (various sweet delicacies) among their neighbours has been a very important part of Christmas gaiety. Plum cakes are specially prepared for the occasion, and in many traditional homes orange peel and various fruits are soaked in rum, months in advance, to ensure a special flavour to the Christmas cake. But it is in Goa, the tourist capital of India, that you find the maximum `E9clat about celebrating Christmas. Sorpatel, one of the oldest curry forms prepared in Goa, is an integral part of Christmas cuisine. Made from pork meat and liver, its spicy taste just reflects the richness of the Goan food; and pork vindaloo, a tangy dish, becomes a part of the main course. The best combination includes this dish with plain, boiled or jeera rice. Bebinca, a famous desert prepared in Goa, takes ample of time for preparation, but the outcome of patience is amazingly sweet. Yes ... India wishes all
her Christians a Merry Christmas in all her languages. — MF
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