Time for festivity and feasting

It’s bright, boisterous and buzzing with revelers. Shops and restaurants lining the streets string up colourful lights, local bands belt out “jolly tunes” on street corners, children whistle and adults are seen in Santa caps through the evening into the night.

Sounds of prayer rise in the dead of the night as hundreds participate in midnight masses. Christmas is here and with it the cool climes, the good grub, lilting carols, and an excess of goodies and gifts; in short, the perfect end to an eventful year.

We travel to different parts of the country to soak in the festive spirit, sample the local Christmas fare and listen in to lilting carol tunes.

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Christmas is the time to pray and celebrate homecoming, happiness and the spirit of togetherness. Here is a sneak peek at how the festival of joy is celebrated across India

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Anglo-Indian flavours in Kolkata

“Christmas in Calcutta (now Kolkata) is something special” is a refrain that both domestic and foreign visitors to the city hear often.

Its colonial past has contributed towards an amazing cultural amalgamation due to a mixed population comprising Anglo-Indians, Jews, Armenians, Chinese, besides the Bengali, Bihari, Marwari, Punjabi, South-Indian and other communities.

“No surprises in that. In this city people come together to celebrate the message of love, peace and happiness, enjoying the festivities together,” says Sandra Gomes, an Anglo-Indian, whose family has been residents of Elliot Road in Central Kolkata for over four generations.

Though the Anglo-Indian, Chinese and Jewish population in the city has been steadily dwindling over the years due to migration most return home to Kolkata for Christmas and New Year to be with the family.

And where there is celebration, can food be far behind? The city’s food district, Park Street, with its famous restaurants, bakeries and hotels, some of them over a century old, is the hub of the year-end festivities.

For decades now, all shops, residences and buildings on Park Street are illuminated with fairy lights, tinsel and streamers and the aroma of freshly baked cakes, roasted duck and pies wafts through the air.

One of the most welcoming sights is that of hundreds of non-Christians queuing up outside Flurys on Park Street and Nahoums in New Market.

Set up in 1927 as a British tea room, Flurys has gained fame for its exotic cakes, puddings and the “best Swiss chocolates outside Europe”.

Today, it bakes up a storm of plum cakes, yule logs, chocolate cones, Dundee cakes and mince pies besides other pastries and savouries.

“The Flurys Christmas lunch includes roast turkey, usually with roast new potatoes and other vegetables, bacon tossed Brussels sprouts, onion stuffing, chipolata sausages and cranberry and horseradish sauce,” says Sandra Gomes, a regular at the joint.

The 112-year-old Jewish bakery, Nahoums, on the other hand, specialises in fruit cakes apart from mince pies and Christmas pudding.

Kolkata’s lively club culture adds to the festive spirit. At the Tollygunge Club set up in 1895 or the Bengal Club that opened its doors in 1827, DJ nights accompanied with some scrumptious British and continental food, are among the sought after dos in the city.

— Ajitha Menon

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A Kerala Christmas with Carols, Kuzhalappams

'Joy to the world', 'O Come All Ye Faithful', 'Silent Night', 'The First Noel'... it's that time of the year again when everyone gets together to 'sing in' the festive spirit.

Come December and central Kerala, the hub of the Malayali Syrian Christians, bursts into song, as churches across Kochi, Kottayam in Kerala and even distant Coonoor in Tamil Nadu come alive with the festive, spontaneous melodies of Christmas carols.

Talking about the origins of Christmas traditions Reverend Sugu John Chandy who, along with his wife Jaya, founded the Family Harmony Choir 22 years ago in Kottayam, says, "The idea of the crib, the Christmas tree and the carol was born in the 11th century during the time of St Francis of Assisi.

The medieval church music was basically chants, which were difficult to emulate." While chants - that have multi-syllables on a single note and do not keep a rigid timing - are sung even today in the Syrian Orthodox churches, as simple, secular music - sometimes narrative and sometimes dramatic - carols have stolen the march when it comes to popularity.

In the predominantly Anglophile community of the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, too, the participation of the local community in carol singing in church has become a hoary tradition.

Reeba Chandy, a member of the Nilgiri Marthoma Syrian Church choir in Coonnoor, shares, "Most of our church members are professionals who are unable to make it to practice regularly.

Also, since Ooty and Coonnoor are home to some top-end British-founded residential schools, these towns have school-going children providing the talent pool for local choirs."

Like good music, a lip-smacking spread brings families and friends together. Traditional Christmas snacks specific to Christian menus like 'achappams' (also known as rose cookies, a mildly sweet and crunchy snack), 'kuzhalappams' (a crispy tubular shaped savoury) and the rice 'halwa' (traditional sweet) made with rice and coconut milk and laced with cashew nuts are the clear favourites.

Although, they can be bought off the shelf today, many women opt to labour energetically to put stacks of homemade goodies on the table.

A wonderful Christmas breakfast and lunch follow the midnight mass that marks Christmas Eve. “While most come back from the mass and slip into bed, women often make sure they are up bright and early to prepare the meal," says Molly Jolly, a mother of two.

By the time the presents have been opened, the house happily strewn with wrapping paper and buntings, and the elders have recounted old family tales for the nth occasion, it is nearing 1 pm and the house is redolent with the spicy aromas of meat curries and the freshly cooked mountains of red parboiled rice.

The main meal always ends with a 'payasam' (rice pudding) full of plump raisins and nuts. “Today, although Christmas comes readymade, the Christmas spirit is still warm and fresh and all-pervasive," remarks Fr. Paul Thelekkkat, a spokesperson for the Syrian Catholic church.

— Shwetha E George and Leela Menon

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The Northeast bursts into song and seasons’ greetings

If you are in Nagaland, then just like in many other parts of India’s northeast, the Christmas-y feeling sets in as soon as December announces its arrival.

No matter where you go in Dimapur, Nagaland’s biggest town, the star of Christmas appears everywhere, and in all sizes.

Stars range from the simple to the fancy, and shine from atop churches, people’s front yards and, of course, in the shopping arcades.

Nagaland being a Christian dominated state – 90 per cent of the Naga population is Christian – Christmas happens to be the biggest festival of the year.

While the celebrations are mostly traditional, there are a few customs and practices that are unique to this region. Food, an important part of any festival, is one such defining aspect.

Alovi Aye, a civil servant, who hails from Nagaland, puts it this way, “Unlike other places, in some of the Northeast states the Christmas feast is hosted by the church.

So while there may be families who have their own Christmas lunch at home, it’s mostly community feasting we have here.”

But there is a great deal of variation, too, considering that there are 16 officially recognised tribes in the state and each has its own church.

Aye provides some examples of festive fare, “Axoni, or fermented soyabean, is an integral part of the feast of the Sumi tribe.

Gahlo, which is like a rice porridge with vegetables, and Moudi, a dish made of beef, pork and Mithun – the state animal that is a domesticated free-range bovine species – without water, is a specialty of the Angami tribe.”

The Lotha tribe loves their pork with bamboo shoot and the Ao tribe specialises in Anishi, a preparation of yam leaves, she adds.

Shiloh Lotha, who runs a boutique in Dimapur, loves the spirit of community Christmas signifies, “This festival is all about love and brotherhood, and the community feasts that we have reinforces this.

The village women get together days before the actual celebration, pounding the rice, cutting the vegetables and preparing the meat for the feast.”

As in Nagaland, Christmas is celebrated with a lot of hoopla and merriment in Mizoram that has an almost 87 per cent Christian population.

No Christmas is complete without the right kind of music. ‘Krismas lenkhawm’, or Christmas songs by Mizo composers like Rokunga, Patea, Damhauhva and others, as well as carols in English are sung by guitar strumming carol groups, which go from house to house and get a warm welcome everywhere.

In Aizawl, street corners and road intersections are done up in colourful decorations with cribs depicting the birth of Christ, snowmen, life-sized Santa Claus dolls, reindeers and even sleighs are up for sale in the shops.

Meghalaya, with 70 per cent of the population of this faith, also leaves no stone unturned in its celebrations. Georgina David, a young doctor in Shillong, says that she cannot recall another instance when the whole town gets together to celebrate a festival with so much enthusiasm, just like one big family.

“Beautiful decorations are put up everywhere; shops are open until a little late for enthusiastic shoppers; and offices were running on minimal staff because everyone’s off for the holidays!”

laughs David. Not surprisingly, music concerts happen every evening for at least a week until Christmas. And one shouldn’t be surprised to see random people break into a four-part harmony at the drop of a hat in a busy market!

— Azera Rahman