Prayers, lights, and cake: Pink City turns merry for Christmas

Jaipur: The Pink City adopted hues of red and green as people gathered at prominent churches and malls to celebrate Christmas on Monday. Braving the cold weather, the devotees, in coats and jackets, looked up at Jesus’ portrait and sang the hymns at special prayers at churches at midnight and in the morning. Their children, running around the churches laden with golden lights, couldn’t wait to devour the plum cake being distributed by elders.Susan, 41, was all set to head toward the St Thomas Orthodox Church in DCM with her toddler for the midnight mass. At least four dozen men and women had assembled to hum along with the church’s white-robed priest. The mass prayer—a telling of the story of the birth of Christ—was held in Malayalam at the church as a majority of Christians in the vicinity belong to Kerala.“I celebrate Christmas every year with my family. We cut the cake and prayed. It’s a beautiful bonding time for us, as you can see,” exclaims Susan, who resides close to the DCM church. Even though the mass prayer usually begins at midnight, the church initiates the prayers early for the devotees’ convenience. On the festive evening, many could be seen singing comfortably in unison in their mother tongue and collectively remembering Jesus’ birth.Joseph Stephen, a member of the Church, was keen to explain what the prayers spoke of: “The priest is talking about the three vice-men who went with gifts to the place where Jesus was born in Bethlehem.” BL Dariya, who lives close by, had come to the church with his family and was capturing the decorations on his camera. “My kids enjoy Christmas celebrations. We came here to see the lighting and all,” he said.Towards the other end of the city, the Church in C-Scheme’s St Xavier’s School housed a bright Christmas tree, adorned with red-coloured bells, beside a portrait of Mary and Joseph. While most kept visiting and exiting the verandah outside the church, some waited patiently. They had come for the prayers, which were to begin in an hour at 11.Joel, who is currently residing in the United States, was calmly standing outside the church’s doors with his son. “I came to Jaipur for my vacation and immediately decided to head to the church. Our family sings for the choir every Christmas,” he smiled. “We are Christians, but I believe Christmas is for everyone.”