Christmas celebrated with lots of fun

For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth Gujarat, India-As the church bells sounded at 12 in the midnight, people assembled to welcome the little Jesus Christ. The churches were glittering with lights as if the stars had really come down on the earth to spread their brightness.

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The Midnight Mass was offered with devotion and aspiration that the Savior would once again establish peace in his world. The markets, streets, confectionary shops, big hotels, and supermarkets were all decked up with stars, Christmas trees and different colorful decorations. People had made lot of preparations to celebrate Christmas with their friends, relatives and dear ones. Apart from attending the Midnight Mass, Christmas meant party time for the youngsters, shopping time for some to take advantage of special discount offers on a different range of products, and for some just a holiday (December 25 is a government holiday in India). One notable point is that people of all communities celebrate this festival no matter whatever religion they might follow. Almost all the schools organize Christmas celebrations, decorating the individual classrooms with Christmas trees, snowman, stars and of course teachers distributing sweets and gifts to the children in the disguise of Santa Claus. This is the biggest attraction for children, not only in schools but also in big market places and hotels. This year several big hotels had developed the theme of Christmas and snow for the visitors. They had also organized a Christmas carnival with a fashion show, carol singing competition, elaborate Christmas dinners, and the visit of Santa Claus is inevitable for Christmas Eve. Besides, some hotels had also organized a ‘bake the cake’ competition especially for the ladies and a magic and puppet show for the kids. The food is a special attraction during this festive season; many large hotels have organized a Yule log and exotic cakes and pastries for desserts and with turkey and roasted chicken dishes for the main course. In India, Christmas means enjoyment, celebration, making merry, partying, singing and dancing. It can be summed up as ‘total fun’ in short. The birth of Lord Krishna is also celebrated at 12 in the midnight (it falls on August 24 every year). There are many other festivals that are celebrated with same kind of fun and togetherness like Deewali, the festivals of lights and cracker display, Holi, the festival of colors and Navaratri, the nine-night festival of dance and music or the Ramzaan. India depicts the true multi-ethnic culture; people might follow different religions but they welcome God together. It is indeed the true role model for Unity in Diversity. Padma Bhargav is a freelance journalist. She can be reached at: padma.bhargav@gmail.com