Christmas in India has traditionally had distinct identities based on local cultures with specific preferences in the manner of its celebration. Mostly these are rooted in language and engagement with past practices. However, it is in the dietary choices that it is best reflected – providing people a vast variety of cuisine that one would need a lifetime to savour if one were to launch a journey of discovery. Even the Christmas cakes and other baked delights that have been sourced from the West have their special local flavours.
Uttarakhand’s British established towns too have their specific tradition of cakes and delights. The availability of local flavours, fruits and forest based ingredients have provided that extra touch to Christmas feasts. This is why any person visiting Dehradun, Mussoorie or Nainital is asked to bring back the famous local confectionary. The numerous missionary run educational institutions have also inculcated in generations of their students a regard for the festival that runs across communities and religions.
Considering the fact that the Christian community is a tiny minority in the country, most Indians celebrating the festival are from other communities. Hindus and others regard it as a children’s festival and Santa Claus communicates the same sense of enjoyment and anticipation here as much as in ‘Christian’ nations. Armed Forces ‘brats’ consider it quite normal that he arrives in a fighter aircraft rather than a sleigh, considering the lack of snow in most parts.
The celebration, like all others, has presently acquired a fresh dimension with the arrival of social media. Even a brief glance at the posts on various platforms will show how enthusiastically people are relating with the Christmas spirit – from celebrities to common folk. And it has a distinct quality that sets it apart – indicating that India has its own particular Christmas, which is not just a reflection of Western culture. And, why not, after all the Christian belief system arrived here long before it landed in the west! It is hoped that India will continue to celebrate its festivals with the same spirit of inclusion and joy, hangovers notwithstanding!
