Kohima: Yuletide season has begun to
dominate the landscape of Nagaland with Christians celebrating the pre-Christmas days with pomp and gaiety.
Most of the private and public buildings, churches and
business establishments in this capital town and Dimapur have
already been illuminated with decorative lights even as supply
of electricity has been erratic in the past two weeks in the
state.
The residents also erected X-mas stars in their buildings
and Santa Clauses were seen in street corners giving an aura
of advent of Christmas in the towns.
The people were seen thronging the markets, causing
traffic jams at Kohima and Dimapur towns while the students studying outside Nagaland have started arriving home to be with their families during Christmas, the biggest festival in this Christian majority state.
Both individuals and various organisations already
organised pre-Christmas celebrations with special prayer
services, music, merrymakings and grand feasts at different
places.
The winter also marks solemnising marriages in churches
of different denominations across Nagaland.
Ao Baptist Church at Dimapur last week organised a mass marriage to cut the increasing cost of weddings, particularly
among the middle class.
The celebrations of pre-Christmas with merrymakings, particularly by various organisations and the government departments, are a new trend among the Nagas, because earlier the believers were waiting with calm and prayers to the birth of Jesus, a pastor pointed out, adding that "it is time for re-conciliation, exchange of goodwill, not for funs and showing one's wealth".
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 14:23