On Christmas

Of all the festivals in the packed Indian calendar, Christmas occupies a somewhat special place in my mind. I mean, I like Diwali - that's usually when one can be at home for long stretches and meet family, and I despise Holi - no offense meant to Bhakt Prahalad, but I just don't do colours and hooliganism, I have started liking Chhath since the whole issue of Heartland sub nationalism has grown up, and other religious holidays for me are simply that only, i.e. holidays. The national holidays, the way we celebrate them in our country, remain, sadly, official occasions only. So, in a land which has around 20 Gazetted Holidays, 40 Restricted Holidays and 5000 years of culture and civilization, I am stuck up on a festival which originated outside of India. I have never fully understood why. The right wing will term me as a westernized RNI (that's resident non-Indian), but I know that is not true. Let me clarify that my own Christmas is not the "canonical Christmas", but the "Santa Claus Christmas". This Christmas has been despised by almost all 'religious' people. The really devout amongst the Christians find it as gross commercialization and trivialization. Closer home, it is seen as the evil effect of 'Westernization'. Yet, this ostensibly unwanted 'commercialized' festival has been spreading across the globe, even into the atheist China despite all the odds. Why? While for others, there might be various reasons, I feel for me, it is a festival that matches me.

I am a winter person. I love almost everything about winters - except, may be, for delayed trains. I mean winter, warts and all - not the bright sunshine alone. I love the cold waves, I love the hail, and the occasional snow. So any festival whose main motifs are associated with the celebration of winter is always going to be good for me. Frosty the snowman, Santa's sleigh, reindeer, conifers - it is all perfect mix of the whole winter deal. Closer home, anything remotely close to a winter festival is Diwali / Chhath - but again, that is hardly related with winter except for the fact that it heralds it. We have festivals that sort of celebrate the ending of winter, in various phases - like the Makar Sankranti, Basant Panchami etc. The only festival that sounds anything like being related to winters is Sharad Poornima, but then, I've never seen it's popular celebration to judge whether it suits my taste or not.

Secondly, in my opinion, it is a festival meant for largely quiet and placid enjoyment. Both 'quiet and placid' and 'enjoyment' are important qualifiers here. As a culture, we lack quiet enjoyment - it is reflected in all facets of our cultural expression - our folklore, our dances, our festivals and our Bollywood. All our enjoyment is supposed to be loud - the Bhangra, the Holi and the Munni Badnaam Hui's. Quiet is meant to be dull, didactic. Our quieter festivals are much more about fasting, staying all chaste and pure and praying devoutly. In fact, much of our life is not meant for enjoyment - even our kiddie books are loaded with 'shikshaa', which is forced down one's gullet with a ram - remember those stories in magazines like Champak and Chandamama etc. (Then they wonder why kids are shunning these didactic works of literature for 'western inputs' like the Harry Potter series!) It suffices to say that most of our culture is not very fond of enjoyment of life as a whole. Our family ties are supposed to be built of respect and authority, which are our society's cherished values, as against love alone. May be all that lack of enjoyment leads to the over the top celebration whenever we get the chance. We do not have our festive equivalents of sitting near a hot fireplace, sipping chocolate or soup and just enjoying the moment, giving small gifts and opening them near the hearth. May be that is one need which is fulfilled by this festival alien to the indigenous culture.

Again, it might simply be all the Enid Blytons I have read in my childhood, and all the Christmas songs I have heard and enjoyed. A line or two about the songs would be necessary here. Many of them are plain worldly songs, about celebration. the religious reference in most has been kept subtle, and the tune is soothing, even in the one's that are about the Christ - 'Silent Night' playing somewhere far away on a cold winter night is just heaven. Last night, near midnight, when I stood in the cool night breeze on my balcony, with the Carpenters' rendition of the song playing from inside, I felt happy, despite all the troubles I have been having all the week. For my Christmas celebration is a thing where no evil eye can cast its glance. It is one spot of light in an otherwise dark world. So, build a nice fire - or turn on that blower. Cozy up in that blanket, with someone, if you have someone - or alone - doesn't matter. Don't forget to brew yourself some hot coffee and chocolate before cozying up. Switch on a new show of "Love Actually", or simply read a warm romance. For 'tis surely a season to be jolly!