Christmas in India

Another perspective...

With Christians amounting to just 2.3 per cent of its population, India is warming to Christmas, though it is still a relatively minor festival. In the balmy evening heat of Calcutta, I watched children perform an open-air Nativity play in Bengali, with Mary dressed in a sari and Joseph sporting a turban. In Delhi, I saw rows and rows of Christmas trees on sale in the markets and shops adorned with tinsel and lamps. Indians know the importance of festivals and take any opportunity to celebrate one - however hard times are.
I've witnessed many festivals in India. Some - including Eid, Diwali, and the birthdays of the Buddha and Guru Nanak - are national holidays, while others are regional ones. Some have no official recognition but people take the day off and celebrate them anyway. On any given day, dozens of festivals are taking place across the country. Earning a fraction of what we are paid in the West, with no welfare state to protect them, ordinary Indians face far more insecurity and hardship than anyone in Britain but will spend whatever they have to make the very most of their festivities. Festivals provide a necessary social function, allowing people to let off steam and break through barriers. Last year, I watched Holi, the festival of colours, in Mumbai. People of every background threw dye at each other and gleefully shouted obscenities during the one day of the year when they can air any grievance they have - towards their boss, colleagues, in-laws, whoever -knowing they'd be forgotten by the evening.