Another Christmas comes along, and the memories return
As one who is celebrating his 89th Christmas, it is with a profound sense of nostalgia that I pen these thoughts. Memories of days gone by, those near and dear, and friends long gone, come crowding in. One feels like a straggler in a strange world! So, to start with, what exactly is Christmas? The real meaning of the word ‘Christmas’ is ‘Feast Day of Christ’. Today, in this modern era, beneath all the glitz, there is no doubt that Christmas has lost its real meaning – ironically, this is something that every generation keeps on saying!
In most Western countries, Christmas is a holiday, a time of escape from a stressful, overworked career or dreary, mindless work. For some others, and most Christians in this country, Asia, Africa and S. America, Christmas is still a religious event, a sacred occasion to celebrate the birth of Christ, through singing of Christmas Carols at a church service, attending church service or midnight mass, listening to the message, engaging in prayer and other religious rituals.
My earliest recollections of Christmas is of the early 1930s, a few years before World War 2. Living, born and bred in Moratuwa, which still has a higher percentage of Christians than the national average, Christmas was celebrated on a big scale. Most Christian homes had ‘bucket’ lantern decorations; Christmas trees, cribs which children themselves made. ‘Santa Claus’ of course had kept a present at the foot of one’s bed on waking up on Christmas morning! Unlike today, the age of disillusionment with Santa came much later for us children!
The public holiday period extended for several days (up to the New Year, if I remember right), and most of the post-Christmas days were spent visiting relatives. There were hardly any cars in that era. A common mode of transport then was the ‘buggy-cart’. Our family of five (my siblings were two younger sisters), would leave home in the morning, and after five or six visits, we came back late in the evening. By then we had a few dolls, crackers (Chinese), bon-bons, and sparklers – all, presents given to us, which we lit at night. There was plenty of Christmas-cake, cheese (Swiss & Cheddar), biscuits (Huntley and Palmers, Peak Frean’s cream crackers) – all imported, (no local Maliban then!), home-made ‘Puhuldosi’, marshmallows.
Moratuwa, (apart from carpentry, is a city of musicians), was famous for its Carol parties. There were “carol carts”, converted and decorated bullock –carts, complete with angel, shepherds, and wise men. The carols, sung by the actors (all in Singhalese), composed by local dramatists, were haunting melodies. They were associated with different churches and hamlets in the town. In addition, there were several youngsters with musical instruments, who visited Christian homes, entertaining the people. These have all died down with the passing years and the coming of the ‘IT era’.
Christmastime also means contemplating another passing year, bringing in the New Year, expressing hope for the future. We can count our blessings and hope for another year of relative happiness and good physical and mental health. At my age, I can’t wish for more. There are not many left anyway! Whatever one may wish, one has to remember that everything that one hopes for, is of course, Deo volente (God willing)!