The legend of Santa Claus, opulent ornaments on trees, and rum-soaked plum cake; Christmas brings with it a time of jollity.
Preparing for the big day
Even though Christmas is a month-end celebration, celebrations begin with the season of advent - the four weeks leading to Christmas. Gurugram-resident Sukanya Kumar, a Protestant, shares, "You can start putting up decorations in advent."
Most Christian families get into the festive mood by decorating their homes. "We decorate a Christmas tree and put up a star. Children are excited about it," says Noida-based Betty Varghese, a Malayali from the Indian Orthodox Church. Many families also decorate a crib representing the birth of Jesus Christ.
Families attend Midnight Mass on Christmas eve in their respective churches. This is often followed by a cake cutting ceremony at church or home.
Allure of the family recipe
Baking the Christmas cake is a tradition most families follow religiously. Lorna Coral Aaron, an Anglo-Indian, Roman Catholic from Noida explains, "Families bake cakes at home. Every family has their own recipe, it is their little secret."
Varghese says that baking the cake is a community ritual; members of the local church take part in the activity. "We start preparing the cake in October. An important tradition is to go dry fruit shopping for Christmas," shares Kumar.
A day of festivities
Despite certain differences in traditions, a common aspect for all communities is the zest to celebrate Christmas with one’s families. "Christmas is about being with your family. Everyone celebrates Christmas at home," mentions Aaron.
Kumar agrees, adding, "Christmas is family-oriented. No matter what part of the world one was in, in a non-COVID-19 time, all my family members would congregate at my maternal grandmother’s house in Gurugram."
Hearty feasts
Another important aspect of Christmas is coming together as a family to cook traditional delicacies. "On Christmas day, we cook chicken, mutton, or fish in our meals," says Varghese. The meal includes appam, a pancake made of fermented rice batter; meen curry (fish curry), and other traditional dishes.
The Christmas feast in Aaron's family is referred to as Bara Khana (a big feast). "Christmas is just about eating and being merry (laughs)," adds Aaron. Their day begins with a hearty breakfast, followed by traditional dishes such as mutton pulao, coconut rice, or biryani for lunch.
"Dinner is usually Westernised. We have stuffed duck, stuffed chicken or turkey with a side of boiled vegetables. We also make sweets like kulkuls," Aaron explains.