Century-old churches in city light up for Christmas

Ranchi: As the world gets ready to raise a toast on Xmas, the churches have been decked up to celebrate the birth of Jesus.The interiors of the 114-year-old St. Mary’s Cathedral have been draped in white, with an assortment of tiny colourful lights. The pulpit has been decorated with long red, yellow, blue and pink cloth rolls hanging from the ceiling. Two cribs – a smaller one inside the cathedral and a giant one on the grounds – have been put up, depicting the scene of nativity.The cathedral ground and the trees have been decked up with festoons and lights. Shamianas were put up to accommodate the thousands of theists who would turn up for the midnight Christmas mass on December 24 and the morning Christmas mass on December 25.A Neo-Romanesque style monumental structure with 32 metre high domes, the St. Mary’s Cathedral has a capacity of around 3,500. However, the attendance on festive occasions is much higher. Hence, the authorities have installed a giant TV screen to live stream the mass.“This is the first time that we have decided to fully deck up the interiors. Thousands of people turn up at the cathedral, and a decorated cathedral would add to the Christmas cheer,” Anand David Xalxo, parish priest, St. Mary’s Cathedral, told TOI.The 150-year-old St. Paul’s Cathedral at Bahubazar, Ranchi, which has been a major attraction every year with its theme-based attractions, has put a hold on its creative decorations as the age-old structure is undergoing a facelift.According to the church officials, expensive decorations have not been used this year, and only simple decorations have been made for the cathedral interiors and the exteriors to save on resources.“Though Christmas is being celebrated with all gaiety and fervour, expensive decorations have been put on hold this year to save money, which is needed for the ongoing construction. This year, only modest decorations are being made,” Ajay Kerketta, official, St. Paul’s Cathedral, said.Omega Ray, councillor, Ranchi Pastorate Committee, said that decorations like hanging artificial green spruce and pinecones lines embedded with coloured balls are used to decorate the cathedral interiors.“The pulpit, however, is being decorated with natural flowers,” Omega Ray, councillor, Ranchi Pastorate Committee,” he told TOI.The oldest church in Jharkhand, Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church, is awash with colourful lights. Whilst trees inside the campus have been beautified with lights, the church interiors have been decorated with hanging stars, chandeliers, and long lines of silver and green artificial cones and spruce lines embedded with coloured balls.