BANGALORE: Alex never had a Christmas tree at home. Though he hails from a devout Christian family, he never celebrated Christmas the 'traditional' way. But he never felt he was missing out on anything.
“My family never had a tree at home. We don't think that is really important,” says Alex who works with an airline company in Bangalore. Alex who is of the Brethren denomination is one of the many people in the city and around the world who don't observe Christmas with the habitual pomp and splendour.
“Trees and cribs are just symbols associated with the festival. Though it's personal choice whether to celebrate Christmas, the Brethrens don't usually observe the festival the typical way, not just in India, but around the world,” points out Alex who spent his school and college days in South Africa.
The reason why they don't observe Christmas rests in historical facts. In 336 AD while the Western Church, based in Rome, chose December 25 as Christmas, the Eastern Church chose January 6. “There is no historical proof that Christ was born on December 25. People just chose some date a long time ago and they called it Christmas,” says Philip, a charted accountant based in Bangalore.
“Also people give more importance to the birth of Christ than his death, which is also equally important,” he adds.
There are more than 20 Brethren churches in Bangalore. None of them have Christmas trees or decorations depicting the season unlike the mainstream churches that are colourfully decked up keeping up with the festive spirit.
Says Alex, “People around the world have forgotten the actual meaning of Christmas. They are taking Christ out of it. And it has just become a bunch of celebrations. So what the Brethren church does during Christmas season is hold meetings where they spread the word of God. It's not just meaningless revellry,” he observes.
But others like Sherin are of the opinion that some people get too caught up 'not-celebrating' the festival that they go to another extend, she calls 'extreme'. “My dad, in an effort to break stereotypes made sure that we never cooked anything special for Christmas,” says Sherin, a student who lives in Bangalore.
“Maybe the idea behind not celebrating Christmas is right. We don't know whether Christ was born on December 25. But I think you can still have fun on Christmas,” she notes. “There are families who are against the idea of any kind of celebration, including birthdays and Christmas. That's extreme,” she adds.
But to compensate the damp festive air are some non-Christians who embrace Christmas with fervour. Karan Tandon is one of them. He has been celebrating Christmas for a few good years with his sister and his parents.
“Christmas is a big family affair for us,” he notes. “We have two trees at home. We usually put it up three weeks before Christmas. Though we are Hindus, we follow the festival. We have a Christmas lunch every year with traditional Christmas fares like turkey and plum cakes. And my mom pays a visit to the orphanages and blind schools near our house during Christmas. It’s a tradition that we follow every year,” he adds.
Like Karan, Rohini is also an ardent festival follower. “I love Christmas,” says Rohini, who works in an IT company in the city.
“I think it's important to celebrate festivals because it keeps a lot of tradition alive,” she notes. “December 25 might not be the exact date of Christ's birth. But that is not to mean that you can't celebrate it. Imagine a Christmas without any celebration. Instead of not celebrating it at all, why not choose a day and celebrate it?” she asks.
“Celebration or no celebration, it all boils down to personal choice at the end of the day,” says Alex. “Personally, though I don't observe the festival the traditional way and I've never had a Christmas tree at home, I would love to have one,” he wraps up.
elizabeth@expressbuzz.com