India celebrates Christmas with faith, love (Roundup)

NEW DELHI - Cutting across faiths, people from all across the country attended midnight masses, special morning prayers in churches, sang carols, and greeted each other with cakes as they enthusiastically celebrated Christmas.

The sun was out, so were the cakes and carols! Delhi residents began a fabulous round of merrymaking Friday, with roast chicken and apple pie lunches, visits to friends or simply cosying up with family on Christmas day.

Soulful melodies - a part of the midnight mass - in beautifully decorated churches welcomed the day. Wrapped up in woollens, many attended mass even as the minimum temperature dipped to the season’s lowest Thursday.

Ranjini John, a homemaker and mother of two, was one of the many who had queued up outside the Sacred Heart Cathedral.

“Christmas is a magical time of the year. Families come together and there’s cheer everywhere. You really forget the cold and the chill - the excitement is so much! My kids, who generally sleep early, were up late into the night and had a great time,” John said.

Bedecked with balloons, streamers and star-shaped lights, the scene of baby Jesus in the manger with Mary was recreated in a number of churches, including the Sacred Heart Cathedral, inviting exciting glances by all, especially the kids.

The morning after was equally exciting as the entire city was decked up for daylong celebrations. Elaborate lunches were prepared in homes, bringing together friends and family.

Ashika Sharma, a student, said: “My friend is a Catholic and Christmas is a grand affair. Every year I can’t wait to attend the elaborate lunch her family organises, so naturally this year is no different.”

“While there are new things on the table every year, there are a few regulars - like the roast chicken or turkey, minced meat pie, apple pie and fruit cake soaked in brandy,” Sharma said.

In Kolkata, thousands of Christians took part in midnight mass, revellers hit the streets and there were large queues at the zoo and other tourist spots. With winter finally setting in, thousands of city dwellers - young and old - enjoyed a sunny morning as they revelled in the festive spirit.

The old churches in Kolkata like St. Paul’s Church, St. John’s Church, and Armenian Church were all decked up as the devout sang Christmas carols and prayed. Along with Christians, many non-Christians also visited the churches.

“I pay a visit to the church every Christmas day. This is the habit I developed from my school time as I studied in a Christian missionary school,” Soma Nag, a schoolteacher said.

In the northeast, specially the states of Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Nagaland which are predominantly Christian, church bells echoed in the hills and dales of the region and throngs of people packing churches to join in festive prayers and songs in celebration of Jesus’ birth.

“Christmas is the day when people tend to forgive and forget everything and simply rejoice. This is also the day when people pray for peace and prosperity of the state, the nation, and for the entire human race at large,” Thomas Menamparampil, the Archbishop of Assam, told IANS.