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After two-year lull, Pune gears up to celebrate Christmas with fervour
With the Covid-19 pandemic well and truly behind us, churches in the city are ready to celebrate Christmas with a lot of fervour
With the Covid-19 pandemic well and truly behind us, churches in the city are ready to celebrate Christmas with a lot of fervour. Festivities have already begun to mark the four Advent Sundays ahead of Christmas. City churches have started various programmes like card- and crib- making competitions and visiting houses for carol singing is on the cards.
Brigita Borges, representative of the church, Christ the King church, Sainikwadi, Wadgaon Sheri, said, “Christmas preparations starts four weeks before and this period is known as Advent. So, we’ve started preparing for the festival four Sundays before Christmas.”
“The church will go for a tableau and it is like we will carry the message of Christmas in a vehicle. We will be showcasing a scene of nativity on a truck wherein children will be enacting,” Borges said.
Along with celebrations, Christmas is also a time to give and do good, and people are eager to spread love through donations.
Father Malcom Sequeira, vicar-general of the Pune Diocese, said, “We have already started donating. Many school children have started reaching out to orphanages. Some churches donate a full month’s ration. We reach out in a big way and many want to do charity. The whole concept is ‘God give his only son what can I give to those who are in need’.”
“This year, we are trying to connect with people as we could not meet each other the last couple of years due to Covid-19. We also want to invite many people as they have not visited the church for Christmas celebrations since the last two years,” father Sequeira said.
Natasha Naidu, who regularly visits the Infant Jesus church, Nigdi, said, “This year Christmas promises to be a welcome return to in-person celebrations. My December is packed with weddings, school concerts, organising our corporate annual day, house parties and prepping for my children’s annual concert. Then there’s cleaning the house, putting up decorations and the tree, and making sweets or kuswar as it’s called in Goa. Home smells wonderful with 4 kg of sorpotel simmering and 5 kg of rum-and-fruit cake in the oven. A highlight this year is the New Year charity ball in support of the Asha Kiran hospital. I’m compering and hope to make it a memorable event with music, good food, and lots of fun. 2023 is surely getting on to a flying start!”
Nicky Picardo, who is into Christmas catering said, “Since there is no social distancing to follow this year, we are expecting more Christmas parties in the city. There are a lot of advance bookings for cake and pastries.”
Father Baptist D’souza, from St Anthony Church, Solapur Bazar, Camp, said, “Families are already excited to celebrate Christmas this year. Large number of people are expected this season for prayers.”
