A Day of Merrymaking

Christmas celebrations in Delhi may not fit the above description, but feelings of merriment and joy pervade the air and permeate in to the hearts of one and all during this time of the year. The craze of Christmastide here is not comparable to that of the City of Joy due to the city brimming  with workaholic people. Even then, some manage to take out time from their busy schedules and gear up for a visit to the church, or plan dinner dates with friends. 

Harshad Khurrana a public relation professional says, “Last year my school friends and I went to the church and then we went to Bangla Saheb Gurudwara and ended our Christmas celebration with good food in Connaught Place (CP). This year I’d prefer trying different designs of cakes, new flavours of ice creams and some Chinese / South Indian food during the weekend.”

The shopping malls in and around the city gear up for the festival with beautifully decorated Christmas trees and Santa Clauses (both thick and thin) distributing candies and chocolates to children and thereafter attracting many to indulge into the mass merriment. “I usually stay at home or visit the Saket mall occasionally, since they decorate the place and celebrate Christmas with a fancy Christmas tree. I prefer sitting there with a glass of cold drink and enjoying the aura of the place,” says Dibakar Das senior executive of healthcare.

The age-old Christmas story with angels, shepherds, wise men, Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus has been recounted time and again and yet, the same story seems to be a source of delight for the children who brighten up with the joy of learning something new. “Christmas celebration usually begins from December 23 onwards. We go door to door and sing carols, and also indulge in carol competitions on the same day. By the 24th we exchange gifts with friends and family and have get-togethers. On the day of Christmas, this time, I get to go to the ‘Yule ball’ which is now a new trend from Harry Potter where we dance and enjoy ourselves,” said Christina George, a Delhi-based journalist. ''The tradition calls for decorating our houses, and enjoying a good feast with the family. We make Christmas cakes (Plum cake, rum cake or ginger cake), Christmas eggs and definitely meat loving people indulge in mutton dishes. A lot of people also get involved in charity during Christmas,” added Christina. 

While some like to celebrate the day with a host of friends partying in discos or indulging in royal dishes with the family, others like to lay low and have some me-time, simply watching television or sitting at the rooftop wrapped in a blanket waiting for the massive fireworks up in the dark sky. With different people celebrating X-mass in various ways let us look at what we have in store for us this winter in the name of merriment.