Christmas Xmas Celebrations in Kerala

Christmas Celebrations in Kerala - The Gods Own Country

Being a Land of festivals kerala celebrates christmas in a grand manner. During the month of december the spirit of christmas is evident in kerala one can easily sense the festive mood among the masses.

Xmas Celebrations Kerala Style

Christmas celebration in kerala is unique in more than one aspect. Here come the month of december and Xmas stars start appearing all over in houses offices and every where. then as the day nears christmas trees, cakes, presents etc.

The star attraction of Xmas celebration in kerala is the Christmas Father and is quite a fascinating personage, who claims above all to be the very embodiment of the most vibrant and quintessence of the gayest of all the festivals. Children allowed to occupy the central stage, in the enchanted company of Christmas Father In cathedrals and churches, the nativity of Jesus is enacted through miniature models. Carols and songs developed from nativity plays are sung. Priests hold the Holy Mass in churches at midnight. Before the Mass begins, an image of the child Jesus is brought out by the priest, preceded by children holding lighted candles that are placed in the crib. Hymns are sung and crackers are burst to signify the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. Later in the day, there is a feast with delicacies. Cakes are made at homes along with traditional Kerala sweets making Christmas look like a traditional Kerala festival.

The Xmas Crib

The crib is a miniature production of the stable where Jesus was born. It developed from the old practice of giving dramatic expression to the events and the surroundings of the birth of Christ. Carols and songs developed from earlier nativity plays have become one of the most cheerful spectacles of the festivities.Priests hold mass in churches three times starting with the first at midnight. Just before the midnight mass, an image of the Child is brought by the priest, preceded by rows of Children holding lighted candles that are placed in the crib. The hymn 'Gloria in exelcis Deo' is intoned admidst the explosion of crackers. A sumptous lunch with rate delicacies is a significant feature of the celebration. Meat forms part of the feast even in rural homes where meat is rarely eaten. Cake has also become common in the villages where women have learnt to make it. In Kerala, Xmas retains its homeliness and expresses itself in the cultural forms of the country without losing what is native to itself.