Eat, Pray, Love: India's Christmas Traditions Are Unique, From Kerala To Meghalaya
While the followers of Christian faith are in a minority in India, it doesn't take away the splendour and fervour with which Christmas is celebrated across the country.
The festive season is characterised by rose cookies, decorated Christmas trees with hanging gifts and homecomings. While the followers of Christian faith are in a minority in India, it doesn't take away the splendour and fervour with which the festival is celebrated across the country. The celebrations, while varying from place to place, are no less significant and yuletide spirit no less dull.
In Kerala, people stress more on nativity scenes as they try out new and innovative ways to add more vitality to the crib.
Lisa, an art researcher from Kottayam, said before the crib installation begins, everything is collected, including coarse straws to make the roof of the stable. Meanwhile, the neighbourhood children fetch soft grass from nearby paddy fields to make the ground of the crib, and sometimes it gets “very competitive”, she said.
As finding fir trees is not an easy task, the common practice is to get branches from mango trees and spruce them up with baubles and homemade decorative items, Lisa said.
On Christmas Eve, people visit the houses in the neighbourhood to see how the nativity scenes are set up. Lisa recalled how installing makeshift ponds became a craze after one of the houses tried it out.
She said after attending the Night Mass, the church-goers are served erachi (meat) curry and appam, after they have abstained from meat for 45 days.
Those attending the Morning Mass, come back home and break the fast with vattayappam (a thick steamed rice pancake, sometimes decorated with raisins) and chicken curry, Lisa said. The family members then gather at her grandparents’ place where they prepare the lunch, which includes meat and vegetables with rice and appam. Before the feast, the family would pray and cut a cake, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
Demie Banda, a business development executive from Meghalaya’s Khasi community said celebrations would begin from the first week of December with carolling. Most activities revolve around the church, including carolling by schoolchildren who would dress up as various Biblical and non-biblical characters – like Virgin Mary, the Three Wise Men, Gabriel the Angel and Santa Claus. Interestingly, gifts are exchanged ahead of Christmas Day.
“It is believed that Jesus Christ was a gift to us from God so the gifts we give each other symbolise this thought,” Demie said.
People usually prefer attending the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, which ends at 12 am with final blessings.
Demie said that cribs also hold some significance for the Christian community, and almost every house, mall and shops will have it on display.
Paying close attention to protection of the forests, Demie said, “Trees are grown specifically for Christmas. However, these days, people opt for the artificial ones as it lifts the burden of getting a new sapling planted. I have been using the same artificial tree for over 10 years.”
The Christmas feast involves a delectable non-vegetarian platter. However, the one that stands out for Demie is Putharo (steamed rice cake, a Khasi staple) and a pork curry made with sesame seed. “Khasi people just need a reason to celebrate and food is almost always the focal point,” Demie said.
In Goa, the yuletide spirit takes over much earlier, with carnivals, parades and night markets. While large family gatherings are a rare sight, some of them are pointer to the fact that the entire family is involved in gearing up for the celebrations, be it setting up the nativity scene from scratch or prepping the ingredients ahead.
A focal point of the celebrations is the Midnight Mass at the church which begins on Christmas Eve and ends at 12 am on Christmas Day.
Traditional snacks, and sweets such as nevris, bebinca, kulkul remain popular. However, the festive platter is now seeing a shift with international cuisines also featuring on the menu.
Isabella, a Burmese Tamil who works as a business development executive, said decorations begin at least by the second week of December. It starts with putting up the light-up star that symbolises the Pole Star.
Carollers visit each parishioner and collect money which is then distributed among the poor and needy. Before the caroller visits, the house is decked up along with the Christmas tree, which could be an artificial tree or a fir tree grown at home. On Christmas Eve, families go for the Midnight Mass which ends with cake and coffee.
Finally, on Christmas Day, Burmese dishes such as Khow suey (a noodle dish) Coconut milk pudding, Rose cookies (a deep-fried sweet snack) and Dhol dhol (sweet made of black rice) are prepared.
Gifts are also a major part of this celebration.
The Anglo-Indian community in Kolkata, West Bengal, though gradually decreasing in number due to people seeking opportunities elsewhere in India or abroad, still comes together for Christmas.
Park Street, a vibrant hub in Kolkata, sees a transformation during this time with dazzling lights and musical performances for everyone to soak in the festive spirit.
Meanwhile, back at home, food preparations include kulkul, rose cookies, Christmas cake, among an array of dishes. Prior to the Midnight Mass, the community ensures the exchange of gifts.
Simon, a business analyst, said, “The Christmas feast invariably features stir-fried beef, sausages and duck.” Festivities extend late at night, often marked with classic tunes from the 70s and 80s.
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