SANDHYA VASUDEV
The Christmas fervour and fever are all around when December comes knocking. Worldwide Christmas is observed and by many who may not be Christians too. This makes the festival all the more unique, as it is more of an aura of gaiety and warmth that prompts many a non Christian to buy a Christmas tree and decorate it. Kindergartens to high schools have special celebrations commemorating the arrival of Christ, before closing till the new year. Carols are sung and scenes from the Bible are enacted.
When I was in high school our convent school had us enact the story of the prodigal son. There were multiple characters in the musical and I was given a simple role of a milkmaid wherein I had a short song and dance to perform with a pail in hand. Although decades have passed by, the scenes from the musical play are fresh in my mind. Every Christmas there would be a huge Christmas tree lit up with bright coloured lights and adorned with colourful ribbons. The holy crib was the fascinating part where we all would stare lovingly at infant Jesus in the crib. The baby symbolised sweet love and goodness and perhaps nothing more for us teenagers. Ultimately every religion is about love and the spread of goodness. A few of our teachers, especially the nuns, would be additionally excited if they had a plan to visit their faraway homes for a brief stay, upon request from their families. Or else they were most happy celebrating the festival at the convent, as they believed it was a special time to be in communion with Christ.
Every religion has a celebration marking the arrival or birth of the deity. The Hindus have the Gokulashtami and Ramanavami, the Muslims have the Milad-un-nabi, Parsis the Khordad Sal, and so on. Certain commonalities seen during various religious festivals give us the premise of a single superior being addressed through multiple languages in the form of various religions. After all, the underlying core principle in every religion is to spread the message of peace and brotherhood and to embrace the fact that the Lord is supreme and only complete surrender to Him will take us back to Him, which is but the goal of every human being. Just as Gokulashtami is celebrated by bhajans through the night, carols are sung all through the eve of Christmas. The almighty is eternal and unborn, but he came in the form of a human through his immense mercy to uplift us. Krishna has said in the Gita that whenever there is a spurt in unrighteousness he’ll incarnate to protect the virtuous and destroy the evil.
To quote a carol , “…long lay the world in sin and error pining, until He appeared …” He went through certain experiences and displayed miracles, to make it easy for the common man to remember him and grow to love him. When pure love for the Almighty heightens, detachment towards the material world begins. The spiritual path back to the eternal home becomes cleared of the weeds of material desires and one is set free. Christmas is a renewed opportunity for seeking forgiveness and making a fresh resolve. A beautiful carol says, “…the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.”
CHRISTMAS AND OUR ETERNAL HOME
