Navratri reprised on Xmas

AHMEDABAD: Praise the Lord! Christmas this year will look a lot like Navratri, with Christians hosting garbas in churches and societies giving celebrations a "local identity".
While garbas are associated with Navratri and Christmas with Western dances, a confluence of cultures has become evident over the past few years. But garbas and raas in Christmas 2002 will be all the more noticeable with cassettes of Christian garbas doing the rounds and special ‘garba mandali’ to set the mood.
And like Navratri, Xmas will not be a one-day affair, but go on for days — at places for eight days, till January 1."These days, more and more Christians want to go back to Indian traditions and culture, rather than follow Western culture," says All-India Christian Council women’s wing state president Nirmala Waghela.
"It is not uncommon to find fathers donning shawls rather than robes. Even the holy mass is referred to as puja," she adds.
And it’s not just in the cities where religio-cultural fusion is evident. In different towns of Gujarat like Mehsana, Kadi, Kalol, Anand and Dhandhuka, and villages like Bhiloda, improvised garba and raas cassettes will be heard this year.
"Boys and girls have been practising their garba and raas steps over the past few days. We will have an hour-long cultural festival after 8 pm, in which we will also have plays, dancing and singing," says Father Robert of the Mehsana Catholic Church.
"This has been happening for some years now. The cultural programmes essentially reflect our culture and not the Western," says activist Samson Christian.
"Garbas will be held on 24th and 31st at most places, either in the evenings or past midnight. Mostly, when people come out of churches after mass. Some of the churches have organised their own programmes, others will have it in their societies," he adds.Says Bishop of Gujarat CNI churches Father VM Malaviya, "Garbas have always been the cultural identity of Gujarat. We are also Gujaratis and Indians. So it is natural that our congregations and cultural programmes will reflect Gujarati culture. Garbas in Christmas have always been there," he adds.
"Special cassettes have been prepared for holding garbas in rural areas. They are usually set to the same tunes as other garbas but with different words," says Father Cedric Prakash of St Xavier’s Social Services Society. He too says fusion’s been part of Christmas celebrations in the state.
In Ahmedabad’s eastern areas of Maninagar, Khokhara, Behrampura and Gomtipur, which have a sizeable Christian population, garbas are common. "A large number of participants from the 500-odd families that live in this locality participate in the garbas. This year, we are not having garbas from 25th onwards, but we will have it on the 30th," says Father Jesukani of the Holy Family Church of Gomtipur.