Merry Christmas – Indian Style

Christmas has been here since we don’t know when. But certainly, it is a few centuries old as the historians tell it came with the Europeans. Over the centuries, it has become a part of multicultural India and under the influence of various local festivals and rituals has acquired an Indian character that is distinct from other countries. Whereas some of the old European practices like week-long carol singing and mid-night mass are still followed in some parts of the country, there are a few other celebrations that have taken a distinct local colour.  

As pines or firs are not common in most parts of India, Christmas trees have been replaced with banana leaves or mango twigs and people even hang them on a string at their doors like most Hindus do for good luck. In many parts they enact the nativity scene on the lines of Krishan Janam Ashtami. Diwali too has a very strong influence on the celebration patterns in some communities where they choose to light clay lamps on the bannisters of their homes in addition to stars and christmas lights. In Daman and Diu, Christmas celebrations last for weeks and include dance nights like Navratri in the neighbouring Gujarat.

The most amazing celebration can be seen in Kochi, Kerala where Christianity has one of its oldest churches. Like Dussehra celebrations, it also erects an effigy, supposedly of Santa Claus, and burns it on the midnight of New Year eve. Also like Hindu beliefs, the act marks the end of evil and bodes for a new beginning.

Christmas in its Indian avatar has grown beyond Jesus and become a part of the larger Indian ethos in which all communities join in merry-making with the same zeal as they do in their own religious events. In recent years, it has shown in a remarkable manner in the way Christmas greetings and goodwill messages have been constructed and indianised.  

Jingle bails, jingle bails is not a mere spellings aberration. It rings in a new dawn and speaks of the cultural fusion that Indian celebration of Christmas shows. With greetings cards left behind, the new age messaging services like Whatsapp have drawn in other people not only in festivity but creativity too.

Of the scores of messages that I received in recent years, very few had the customary, hackneyed ‘Merry Christmas’ emblazoned on them. The communities around us have directly united with their Christian brethren by appropriating their signs and symbols to make Christmas celebrations their own.

Jingle bells is being sung in Punjabi Bhangra dance with beats of dhol and shouts of joy. X-mas becomes gurpurab, Christ is called Baba and the traditional English greetings turn into lakh lakh vadayian. In a popular comic video, guests are shown enjoying a Christmas dinner in a Punjabi restaurant with a proper band in attendance. On the tune of a carol, the band is singing a Punjabi song that exhorts the guests to have lassi, laddoo, samosa, peg sheg and a round of tandoori chicken, instead of the traditional wine, turkey and rum cake. 

Not only Punjabis, other communities too have shown equal enthusiasm to join in the celebrations. In one of the messages, a bearded sadhu had the Christmas tree painted in sandal paste instead of the three-finger tilakam on his forehead crested with the message Happy Christmas in Hindi.

In another image, friends brought both Lord Shiva and Lord Jesus together in the celestial serenity of heaven with Shiva hailing the other with a ‘happy birthday’ greeting and Jesus responding with ‘thanks Shiva’ in the true spirit of camaraderie.  With Photoshop and morphing becoming everyman’s tools, another friend draped the beautiful statue of Lord Krishna and Radha in the Santa Clause suit and hood, with Krishna singing carols on his flute. The Mumbai hackers portrayed the scene of a human pyramid in the construction of a Christmas tree with the star of the magi at the top substituted for dahi-handi. In another fusion meme, the scene of Lohri celebration around a fire was created by placing the picture of Mother Mariam happily cuddling the new-born Christ in her arms.

Santa Claus, the most enduring symbol of Christmas celebration comes in handy to all. A south Indian friend recorded a very south Indian song in a very south Indian English complaining he has been inviting the old man for forty years, but since he does not show up, he has given up hope and will, instead, invite the Pope next year. A north Indian band, all in Santa Claus tasselled caps, is merrily singing Punjabi carols to the tune of ‘mathe te chamkan vaal mere banrhe de’

Against these contrived photographs one real video indeed was touching. At Allahabad some devotees after taking a holy dip in the Triveni dressed themselves as a group of Santa Claus and performed the traditional aarti with a bouquet of brass oil lamps.

But the ease and humour with which the Punjabis adopted Santa Claus beats them all as they had their own legendary Santa Singh to match him. The most remarkable thing about the Christmas Santa Singh is that he does not want Santa Claus’ reindeer-driven sleigh for a day. Instead, he would have his own oxen-driven cart which lasts him the whole year and gives him opportunity to sing Jingle bails, jingle bails all the time.

But the same Santa Singh this year sends a very emotional message to his Christian brothers saying the original Santas are busy protesting, yet they wish them all merry Christmas and lots of love and joy.

We too wish the New Year brings our Santas back home and may the bonhomie between religions and communities continue to bring happiness to all.