Christmas

Christmas, the most popular festival of the Christians, is celebrated to mark the birth date of Jesus of Nazareth. Besides, the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Christmas also combines various secular traditions influenced mainly by ancient winter festivals such as Yule and Saturnalia. A typical Christmas celebration includes Christmas trees, cakes, exchange of gifts and cards and the arrival of Santa Claus on the Christmas Eve to give away presents. The festival promotes goodwill, compassion and love.

Traditionally, Christmas is celebrated on December 25 throughout the world. But some Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, which corresponds to December 25 of the Julian calendar. It is usually preceded by the Christmas Eve and followed by the Boxing Day.

It is not known that when or why December 25 came to be associated with the birthday of Jesus Christ as the New Testament does not specify a particular date for his birth. Sextus Julius Africanus propagated the idea that Jesus was born on December 25 in his Chronographiai, a reference book for the Christians written in 221 AD. In the beginning, the Jesus’s birth date was not associated with any celebration or festivity. The earliest reference to Christmas is in the Calendar of Filocalus, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome in 354 AD. In the east, Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus as the part of Epiphany on January 6, although this festival focused on the baptism of Jesus.

In India, Christmas is celebrated in different ways in various parts of the country. Generally, the Christians in the plains decorate the mango or banana trees during Christmas. Some Christians also decorate their houses with mango leaves in Hindu tradition. In some parts of India, Christians also light small clay oil lamps as part of the Christmas decorations. These small clay lamps are placed on the edges of flat roofs and are lined on the tops of walls.

During Christmas in India, most of the churches are decorated with poinsettias and lit with candles for the Christmas Eve service. One of the most famous destinations in India during Christmas in India is Goa. Both Indians and overseas visitors throng to Goa to be a part of the Christmas fiesta.

Christmas in Kerala

In spite of Hindus and Muslims being in majority in Kerala, Christmas is celebrated with equal zest and vigor. Christmas, in Kerala is a national holiday and all the people, irrespective of their religion, enjoy and celebrate it along with Christians. It is celebrated in more or less the same manner as throughout the world. The Christmas tree is a comparatively new addition to Christmas celebrations in Kerala. The twinkling Christmas star placed at Christian homes or shops initiates a season full of cheerfulness and joy.

The crib, a miniature production of the stable where Jesus was born, is also the part of the Christmas festivities in Kerala. It was evolved from the traditional practice of dramatizing the events and the surroundings associated with the birth of Christ. In cathedrals and churches of Kerala, the birth of Jesus is exhibited through miniature models. The hymn 'Gloria in Exelcis Deo' is chanted amidst the explosion of crackers. Christmas carols and songs developed from nativity plays are also sung. The bishops and fathers hold the Holy Mass in the churches at the midnight. Before the Mass begins, an image of the child Jesus is brought out by them, preceded by children holding lighted candles that are placed in the crib. The hymns are sung and crackers are burst to signify the coming of the Jesus Christ into the world.

The celebrations are accompanied by a feast of special delicacies. The most important preparation during Christmas is the cake along with traditional Kerala sweets making Christmas a traditional Kerala festival.