Virtual carols, mass: Tied down by curbs, Christmas spirit in Delhi goes online

Christmas celebrations across the world revolve around the traditions of the Christmas tree, the guiding star, nativity scenes, songs, and skits on the birth of Jesus along with the rendering of Christmas carols and gift-giving among other revelries.

With Delhi still recording over a thousand Covid-19 cases every day, Christmas celebrations in the Capital have largely moved online with churches switching to online mass and carolling as churches and religious groups work to keep the festive cheer alive on digital platforms.

While many churches have switched to digital options, a few churches across the capital are allowing services in smaller numbers following all Covid-19 safety guidelines. (Sanchit Khanna/HT file photo)

Christmas celebrations across the world revolve around the traditions of the Christmas tree, the guiding star, nativity scenes, songs, and skits on the birth of Jesus along with the rendering of Christmas carols and gift-giving among other revelries.

Reverend Mohit Hitter, priest in charge of the Cathedral Church of the Redemption, said celebrations have moved online due to the limit on gatherings. “We are observing an online mass. Due to the restrictions on large gathering and rules of physical distancing, we cannot have carols in person. So people are carolling at home and we share these videos on social media and chat platforms. All other events, too, have moved online and we will livestream them,” he said.

He added that most members of the church have been attending mass online since the pandemic struck.

“People outside the community too have reached out to us, and said they miss out on Christmas celebrations, food, and the general festive spirit. We are not happy but there will be a Christmas next year as well and maybe we could double up the celebrations then,” he said.

Norris Pritam, vice-president of the New Delhi YMCA, said the organisation had organised several virtual Christmas music concerts last week that were watched by hundreds. On Sunday, the organisation also participated in a virtual candlelight service by the Christ Methodist Church playing pre-recorded Christmas carols in Hindi and English.

“We had a pipe-organ concert where people were playing the instrument from 10 different locations including one person each in Germany and South Korea. Among these, two organists from India may have had connectivity problems that disrupted the sync. So we asked them to record and send their bits to us, and we played them from our end,” he said. The nearly two-hour-long concert played 21 carols including O Come All Ye Faithful, Joy to The World, and O Little Town of Bethlehem.

Royall McLaren, director at Delhi Christian Chorus, the oldest choir group in the Capital, said, “We have been unable to practise during the pandemic, so there will be no concerts, online or offline, because we need to work for at least three or four months. This is the first time we will not be performing during Christmas in the past 50 years.”

Similarly, the Capital City Minstrels (CCM), a popular choir group in the city, said they will record their carols and post it on social media. Neeraj Debraj, CCM president, said, “It is impossible to perform live concerts and coordinate multiple voices using video-conferencing apps. The only way virtual concerts can work is if soloists are performing. We were engaged in virtual rehearsals since June where separate instrumental tracks were given to each choir singer as per their classification (tenor, base, soprano, alto etc) and everybody would sing their part. These tracks will be brought together by a video editor to create a comprehensive choir recital.”

Neena George, 55, a resident of Dwarka who works as a nurse, said apart from the midnight service, this year, people will also miss the community activities. “We will stream the mass virtually this year. But carolling and singing competitions will be missing. Usually, a big part of the Christmas tradition is to go for the cake-mixing, where people gather in large numbers and go to a bakery. The activity is an all-nighter and was a big part of our Christmas celebrations. But we will be missing that as well this year.”

While many churches have switched to digital options, a few churches across the capital are allowing services in smaller numbers following all Covid-19 safety guidelines.

Reverend Sunil Ghazan, presbyter-in-charge of St Martin’s Church in Delhi Cantonment, said their church will reopen on Sunday with Covid-19 protocols in place. They had shut in November after the government capped gatherings at 50 people at a time.

“Upon revisiting the guidelines, we understood that 50% of the existing capacity was allowed. So, we will be having the worship service beginning Sunday and will also continue with the virtual streaming of services. Safety protocols like compulsory mask and gloves, alternate seating arrangements, constant sanitization, thermal screening etc will be followed. We will also discourage the elderly and children below 14 years of age from coming to the church,” he said.

Rev Ghazan, who is also the secretary of the Diocese of Delhi, said that a few more churches under the Church of North India are also likely to reopen before Christmas. “For Christmas, our church (St Martin’s Church) will be taking bookings for the visit over WhatsApp. If it is filled, we may hold another service,” he said.

However, unlike previous years, when the days leading up to Christmas would be filled with nativity plays by Sunday school children, community lunches or dinners, celebrations with underprivileged children, and choir concerts, most of these events will take place online this time.