The Hindu : New Delhi News : Christmas celebrated with much fanfare, extravaganza in the Capital

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Christmas celebrated with much fanfare, extravaganza in the Capital

Staff Reporter

Churches are decked up with twinkling lights and Christmas trees on sunny day

NEW DELHI: Pleasant sunny weather greeted Delhiites on Tuesday morning as they waited with bated breath to plunge into the Christmas festivities later in the day.

Sumptuous bites

After attending midnight mass and participating in carol singing, the better half of the day was spent with family and friends exchanging gifts and niceties and enjoying sumptuous bites of the delicious Christmas cake.

Dressed in their best, people visited their relatives and friends and exchanged cakes and hugs.

Churches, including the oldest cathedral in the Capital, Sacred Heart, were decked up with twinkling lights and extravagantly decorated Christmas trees.

A large number of people, including children, teenagers and senior citizens, attended the midnight mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral at Gole Dak Khana where a large Christmas tree full of sparkling lights and balloons was put up. They lit candles and sang carols.

Shopping

Gita Abrahim, a resident of Greater Noida who celebrated Christmas with much fanfare on Tuesday, said: “Christmas being family time, all my relatives from abroad flew down to celebrate it together. After attending Church almost the entire afternoon on Tuesday, we indulged in guilt-free Christmas shopping in the city before getting down to enjoy an elaborate spread with the entire family.”

While the city celebrated Christmas in its own way, it was chaos on the roads. Major market places including Connaught Place reported huge traffic jams.

Abhinav Mehta, a commuter, said: “When I got out of office around 7 p.m., I was astounded to see so many cars on the roads. It was as if the whole of Delhi had come out on the streets to celebrate Christmas.”

Choked

“All four radial roads of Connaught Place were choked with cars and particularly the one leading to PVR Plaza multiplex. I had decided to stop at a restaurant for some coffee, but the traffic was so bad that I returned home instead,” he added.

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