As we all know, Christmas day is around the corner.
Today we’l discuss with you about a more personalized approach to celebrating Christmas with in the Christian Community. We approached for you some Pakistani Christians to discuss with them how they celebrate this joyous occasion. Now, let’s be clear that this may not be how every Christian family in Pakistan celebrates the big day, but it’s great to know about what goes on in the community during the festive occasion.
Then Here we shall begin our journey.
The two siblings, Carol and Brendan Noronha, share some glimpses of their rituals for the day.
They speak about their day including attending the important masses.
Brendan and his dad are both fond of cooking and baking so usually their house is filled with some pretty great delicacies. Christmas, for them, is equal to joy and it is a time to come together as a family and unite for the great celebration. While Brendan is mostly away from home due to his career as a chef in Turkey and Carol is busy with filming, they always manage to find their way back home during the auspicious occasion.
Next we show case for you the Christmas celebrations of a Media Science student, Sheena Dsouza, who talks about what celebrations are like for her family and her.
“Just before Christmas, we have a lot of events happening that build up to the big day itself,” Sheena says joyously.
“We organize some events like bonfires and dinner parties where members of the community come together to enjoy and bond with each other. It’s definitely the time for family bondings. It’s an absolutely essential to make specific special treats. We bake a variety of toffees, fruitcakes and some other delicacies.
Our family always follows the tradition of attending the midnight mass coinciding with Christmas Eve. After we are done attending the mass, our extended family comes over where my father makes his great coffee. This family mingling usually continues till sunrise.”
Sheena also mentions to us how decorating the Christmas tree begins two weeks prior to the day, thereby putting everyone in the true festive spirit for the holiday.
Also Read: Here’s what Hindus from Pakistan told us about celebrating Diwali in Pakistan.
“The morning sun dawns with traditions to visit our other relatives and an exchange of gifts takes place. But it’s not just about that. It’s about being thankful for the family we are blessed with and to celebrate the occasion with, and it’s also about being grateful for being able to celebrate it at all, in the first place. Not a lot of people get that blessing. Moreover, it’s about uniting together as a community and as a larger family for such an important event.”
Kane Dsouza is one another Media Science student that we met, who talked about how his family celebrates the great occasion.
“Before the occasion is kicked off, we bake a lot of food and sweet stuff,” Kane explains.
“We cook up some very tasty traditional treats like the Kalkal for example. It’s a Goan traditional dish that is made particularly for the Christmas time. We also make some sweets. On the night itself, we attend mass and the family gets together later in the day. Our mornings are usually spent with our extended families. The children mostly flock over to the Christmas tree, as they’re always anxiously waiting for their gifts.”
“During my younger years we would to go visit my paternal grandmother, but as n now she passed away. Now, we go to see our other grandmother on the day of Christmas. The family gathers there to spend some quality time together. There’s always a very special liver dish that she makes for all of us along with a great tasting roast.”
For Kane, Christmas day clearly seems to be all about enjoying some great food.
While it’s so great to see that these families enjoy the blessed momentous occasion to its fullest during the time, it’s very important for us to remember to be more accepting.
Much like the all of us, Carol, Brendan, Kane, Sheena and their entire community are a part of our country also. While it’s very easy to write off their celebrations, we must not forget that it is our moral obligation to remain respectful to these people who may not share the same faith as us.
It’s also imperative to keep in mind that not everyone can celebrate Christmas as they do.
There are also countless families who can’t afford to celebrate this religious occasion. Let’s try to remember them too during this time of the year. With a little momentous occasion and acceptance, we can go a long way. So let’s start that journey in the last leg of 2020.
Tags: #christmas, #christmas decorations, #christmas history, #christmas celebration, #what is christmas, #christmas tree
For more stories keep scrolling our site and don’t forget to tell us What do you think of this story?
