From Christmas to this Country of Ours

Winter in India is a time for celebrations. Instead of the scorching heat and unbearable humidity, that defines the long summer months, there is a nip in the air with a dip in temperature and a riot of colour all around. In the eastern part of the country, the quilts and the mufflers, the colourful kanthas and the monkey caps, compete for attention with the fields of marigolds, yellow and orange in the bright sunlight. In the cities and towns, the parks and gardens are ablaze with petunias and dahlias, chrysanthemums and roses, while the roadside chaiwallahs do a brisk sale of hot cha and peas samosas. It is a time when concerts and theatrical productions do the rounds and the maidans and parks, monuments and theatres are full to capacity while hotels and restaurants host parties and wedding celebrations.

And in the midst of all this comes Christmas. Christmas in India has a charm of its own. There are some common elements like the decorated tree, Santa Claus and the midnight mass in churches across the country.  However, every region adds its own typical touch to the festivities.  Carols are sung in regional languages and while the message is the same, the language is not. An important part of any celebration is food and the diversity of Xmas food is amazing. While the rich plum cake is a favourite in most urban areas, the local variations add a distinctive touch to the festivities. The Goans have their version of the cake made with semolina and rice flour, while Kerala celebrates with rice coconut and jaggery. The North East generally follows the Western pattern with cakes and home brewed wine, while date kheer with rice is the Christmas staple in Christian homes in Bondel and Chandannagore. The stereotypical image of a white Xmas is unknown, and garlands of marigolds and white and yellow chrysanthemums adorn the altars on Christmas Eve.

While parties and special Christmas buffet menus crowd the celebrations in the metro cities, shops and marketplaces are brightly illuminated and buildings and streets are strung with rows of twinkling Chinese electric lights. The shops have huge Santas, real and mannequins, and bright red poinsettia pots fill the roundabouts and malls. There are Xmas sales and Christmas discounts and the hotels come up with innovative menus for the occasion. People throng the 5-star hotels and smaller restaurants and there is revelry on the streets. On a visit to Washington in December, I wanted to attend Christmas Mass on Christmas Eve. My son had reserved tickets and dressed in our formal best Indian clothes, we walked into the huge Washington Cathedral. It was a formal and dignified ceremony, led by the Archbishop of the Cathedral, and the whole congregation sang the hymns, from printed booklets distributed to all. There was a sermon by the Archbishop and a beautiful candlelit procession with little boys in ceremonial dress enlivening the scene. It was a moving experience to say the least. While we were driving back home, I expected to see the capital of the US, to be richly illuminated. In Kolkata the streets are so beautifully lit up for Christmas, and all shops and eateries open all night. Here, however, there were no lights and just an occasional X’mas tree in a roundabout. There was a sombre silence on the road and very few cars on that chilly night. I was a little disappointed, but my son explained that Christmas was a family occasion to be celebrated with family and loved ones at home. All shops and eateries remain closed from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day.

Reflecting on this, I concluded that perhaps this was because in India, eating out is still a special and often a memorable occasion while in the West, eating a specially cooked Christmas meal at home, is perhaps a rarity.  Hence on that special day, a table laden with delicious roasts, pies and puddings is spread out and the family raises toasts for their dear ones. While we still regard eating out as a very special occasion. Also, for us celebrating always includes dance and song and relatives and friends and, even people who we may meet only once, become our friends for life. Brought up on a tradition of community Durga puja, I prefer our way to their way. Each to his own as is rightly said.

The difference between the two cultures I thought, was also reflected in the vegetation of the two nations. While travelling through hilly terrain in the US, I had noticed neat rows of pine trees on the slopes of the hills, on either side of the road. I compared that with the tall pines with shrubs, bushes and creepers clambering up the slim pine trunks and the unruly profusion of leaves, cones and berries in the hilly slopes all along the way to Mussoorie from Delhi. I chuckled as I thought that the different vegetation reflected the difference between the two cultures. In the West, the pines are orderly, like their cities and perhaps their people. There is a sameness about the way of life, and it follows a certain pattern. There is an outward show of discipline and order . India, on the other hand, has a syncretic culture, with people of different states having their own language, tradition, customs and costumes. So too our forests. We have the tall pines and the shorter fruit trees with the stunted shrubs and delicate creepers twining around the larger trees for support. We are an inclusive society and for ages have cohabited peacefully and happily. Under the apparent confusion and chaos, there is an order, that defies description. The big and the small, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak all co-exist in a country that is in a class of its own… our diversity characterises us. It is the very essence of our being. The spirit of togetherness and mutual support have been our hallmark. Strangely it is this spirit of togetherness that was seen in the recent and ongoing protests and demonstrations across the country. I am proud to be a part of this great nation.

Paramita Ray

(Advisor, AGA)

24/12/2019