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Christmas: A Season of Happiness and Cheer

 

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town…


Christmas is a festival of Hope. Our Lord Jesus was born in a manger, on a cold winter night and angels in heaven acclaimed, Hallelujah!!

 

 

Christmas is the first festival in the catholic liturgical calendar. The preparation season before Christmas is called Advent which consists of four Sundays each signifying Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. During this period we prepare our hearts and homes to welcome the newborn saviour of the world and receive some presents too.

Christmas holds great significance in our history. The Christians would live from Christmas to Christmas. The survivors in the concentration camp of the Nazis only had this festival as a hope that they would celebrate the coming Christmas with their families, this hope kept them alive. This season was a period where everyone found joy despite their hardships. St. Nicolas, often regarded as Santa Claus, has a similar story where he would leave some gifts in the socks hanging outside and help the needy in secret.

Christmas is not just a religious celebration but a festive occasion that brings families, communities and strangers together. I have memories of preparing Christmas sweets with my family and then packing it and giving them to my relatives and neighbours. This is also a season of generosity, where you give gifts to one another and say “This is Santa's gift for you”

One of the most enchanting sights during Christmas is the way streets, homes and churches are decorated. Decorations hang from the Christmas Tree and lights that glow from it, the crib beside it recreating the sight of the Birth of Christ and the Star outside that guided the wise men to Bethlehem where the king was born.


During Christmas, the malls and markets sell decorations and christmassy stuff like reindeer horns, Santa’s hat and  traditional carols like Silent Night, Feliz Navidad, Angels we have heard on high, Jingle Bells, The First Noel, Go Tell it on the Mountains, Joy to the world and many more are sung from door to door, spreading the festive cheer. I remember singing Christmas carols with my Church community and how the children in the society would gather around Santa to receive their presents. 


Attending midnight mass on Christmas Eve has been a cherished tradition for ages. After attending mass, we generally would have dinner together as a family and then prepare ourselves to visit our relatives the next day and share greetings and sweets. 


Christmas celebration in India nowadays, is quite similar to its celebration in the west. It is a synthesis of western Christian traditions that are blended with India’s diverse cultural and regional influences. There are various carols sung in local languages including English, Hindi, marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Konkani and many more. In Goa, Christmas celebrations have a Portuguese influence and the Christmas Dinner includes a variety of seafood, sorpotel, stew, that are influenced by the local cuisine, and traditional sweets like bebnica and neureos along with the Plum Cake. Similarly Christmas celebration in the north-eastern part of India is influenced by traditional dances, folk songs and community centered fellowship.


We also share hope, love and joy with those around us. The Christmas tree, the Christmas decor, the Star, Santa Claus, The Reindeer bring  cheers and smiles to every heart and also fills us with the hope that our Lord is there to make our lives beautiful and the lives of others especially the needy and the underprivileged. 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…..

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to you and your families. 

 

-Florence Vaz

Volunteer, Editorial Committee, 2024-25 

 

 

 

 

 

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