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