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Season's best moments
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Mangalore is bustling with Christmas festivity. M. RAGHURAM checks out the spirit of the season
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No Christmas is complete without the tableau of the Holy Family. Left: Cakes fit for the King.
ITS THAT time of the year when Mangalore wears the look of Rome, trying to live up to its tag of Rome of the East. Christmas is here and the city is wearing a festive look. There may not be snow, but the spirit of Christmas is in full stream in the air.
Why is Mangalore called the Rome of the East? This question still gets a variety of answers. When compared to the Christian population with that of Bangalore and Chennai, Mangalore can only boast of a moderate number of Christians living in the city. But the manner in which they have enriched the society is tremendous and it shows in every part of the city. The various churches, the charity houses, the seminaries, convents and those gorgeous colonial houses that belong to the Christian families and peace loving Christians are all part of the culture of this coastal city.
Mangalore acquires a special character of Christmas in Mangalore is that it is celebrated more ways than one. The celebrations begin early in the evening on the Christmas eve. The houses are decorated with colourful lights and Christmas trees that are specially coming in from Bangalore and some locally grown ones in nurseries are taken on an early bird basis.
Christmas trees
Richard D'Souza of Valencia says it has become hard to find the Christmas tree in these areas so we have grown one in our backyard. We decorate it through the day with the stuff we get locally and some are got from Bangalore. While Chilimbi Violet Coelho and Robert Coelho have saved a small tree in a concrete pot that has maintained its size at 5 ft for three Christmas's now.
Gerosa and Shetty Traders have their stores full of decorative items for Christmas right from the coloured glass balls to golden twirls and a honky tonk guitar and Christmas carol songbook complete with musical notes. Selections on GHS Road and Tini Mini and Shoppin have full range of Santa Claus costumes along with a new wardrobe for children and women for Christmas.
Christmas is also good time for golden old numbers of Jim Reeves, Matt Monroe, and the carol singer Amy Grant that have been preferred by Mangalorean Christians. Music Shops like Favourite, Melody house, Planet M, and a number of music stores around the city are all stocked up. Craig Fernandes of Virgin Music says Mangalore sells a good volume of Christmas Music and people are fond of old Christmas songs of artistes of the 50s and 60s, and the evergreen "Jingle Bells". Jim Reeves is still a hot favourite of families in Mangalore. Mangalore's own Jim Reeves sing alike Max Karkada is planning to sing at Jeppu Bajal Church along with Valentino's group, especially the Christmas carols on Christmas eve. The good old oldies "Mary's Boy Child" "Rivers of Babylon" and some numbers of Alanis Morisette can be heard in almost all bylanes of Valencia, Urva, Jeppu and Shiv Bagh.
Mouthwatering cakes
Mangalore is specially regarded for its cakes, not only in Karnataka but also the entire country. The bakeries are ready with their Kuswar, the local Christmas delicacies that are usually made at Catholic homes are now commercially produced in any bakery or superstores stock them in good volumes. The Vaz Chain of Bakeries who always treat the Mangaloreans with the best of the French and Portuguese items like Gateaux, special ginger breads and exotic fruit cakes makes non- Christians also queue up before the counters. This year, the Cochin Bakery, a new entrant to Mangalore's cake market has created a series of 18 cakes that have the pictures of as many churches including the Milagres, Rosario, St. Aloysius, Cordel, Bejai, and many more. The M. D'Souza is also ready with a range of special bakes for Christmas. Bangalore's Nilgiris Dairy Farms branch at Balmatta also has a range of cakes from Bangalore. Likewise Bon Bons at Yeyyadi, Taj Manjarun cake shop, Smokey's and the cake shop at the Joofri's super market in Saibeen Complex also has some interesting cakes.
The midnight mass at the Bishop's house in Kodialbail is a special occasion. It is from here that the Bishop delivers the Christmas message. The church complex in Bishop's House is fully illuminated and almost all churches around the city have been bedecked for Christmas.
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