It’s Christmas and Bangaloreans are celebrating the festive season in great spirit. The number of local stores that have started stocking Christmas decorations is amazingly surprising.
Right from the good old Santa caps, this year -2013’s Christmas decorations in Bangalore have started selling attractive bells, candles, candle holders, reindeer caps at select stores like Itsy Bitsy (BTW this store has some of the most spectacular collections and in all ranges) and decor items that are enticing customers to celebrate Christmas at homes, decorating trees and buying cakes too.
Bangalore population is not a major Christian community but then I am amused as to how come many want to decorate trees, throw parties at home, have brightly lit stars (fake ones) outside their home?
I had earlier noticed that local markets and local stores stacked up diwali decorations like diyas, colorful rangolis that can be placed anywhere (convenient you see and non messy!). I thought to myself two months ago seeing a number of homes light diyas and artificial lights outside their homes, bungalows and apartments that the major festival of Indian, Deepavali or Diwali brings in cheer, smiles and reasons to be happy. It is the openness of the religion too -Hinduism particularly for Diwali, where people want to celebrate with diyas, fire crackers(though kids have started discouraging the trend of using firecrackers-awareness you see on not to use non polluted crackers and sound pollution). So was happy people celebrating Diwali in great style, it didn’t bother people if they had saved up or not, received the bonus or not, but occasions like Diwali brings hope for people of the year to come.
Anyways it was good to see Bangalore streets being lit up during Diwali. Streets, malls, stores, homes were lit up with diyas. And now I can see the similar or greater enthusiasm in celebrating Christmas. Even two years ago, I remember looking out online and asking friends where to find a fake Christmas tree. Now every kirana store has it and each of them have stocked several items for decorations. They have been lighting at least 8-10 stars (fakes ones used for Christmas) and alluring customers. It is the mall culture where they use a string of lights to decorate the ambiance and invite customers to spend, feel good and spend more. Yes this time even I have put up a little X’mas tree at home.
Guess it is our way to hope that lights, snowman and Santa of course brings us happiness, helps us to forget little or major worries and feel blessed to be on Mother Earth.
Another reason which I think is because we as Indians are gradually without realizing accepting global cultures, we speak English in schools, work spaces and we are also following some traditions of celebrations. We are also open to visiting churches like we do visit temples.
Think we are increasingly becoming Indian-English rather than just Indians.
Merry Christmas and Happy 2014
Note- Those in italics mean specific Indian words regarding life and festivals of lights-Diwali.
Image Courtesy- Phoenix Market City mall -an earlier snap found on the net.