Christmas celebrations low key in violence-hit Manipur but marked by traditional zeal and fervour in other NE states

Aizawl/Imphal/Kohima:  Celebrations were subdued in ethnic violence-devastated Manipur, but Christmas was celebrated with cheer, joy, and festivities in other northeastern states, like Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.

Churches, government and private installations, shops, parks, graveyards and the houses were lit up with colourful lights, flowers and Christians motifs.

Governors and Chief Ministers of all the northeastern states greeted the people on the occasion.

Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and other northeastern states underwent a transformation as Christmas masses were conducted and the streets were lit up beautifully since Saturday.

Over six million Christians live in Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya while there are a significant number of Christians in the other northeastern states.

The Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya governments have announced holidays for several days to enable the people to take part in the festivities.

Cutting across religious and party lines, leaders, members of various political parties and people of all walks of life enjoy the celebrations and take part in numerous events.

Christmas was also being celebrated in Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim with the participation of non-Christians and people belonging to other religions of all ages and all walks of life.

In Manipur, Christmas is being celebrated in a very low key manner this year after the collective call of church bodies to mark the occasion in a simple way in view of the ongoing ethnic conflict in the northeastern state.

As cries of bereaved families and those whose houses and properties were destroyed in the strife reverberated across the state, many devout Christians said this Christmas would be about caring and giving for the victims.

Unlike the previous years, the Yuletide air seemed restrained in the hill districts and some Christian pockets in Imphal valley.

In Mizoram, a grand Christmas being celebrated on Monday with Churches, many government and private establishments, roads, towns and villages were decorated welcoming the birth of Jesus Christ. As always, Christmas is an annual high point of the year for the Christian dominated-Mizoram, where December is always a special month and the festive spirit scales high.

Churches are decorated with full scale while Christmas carols echo all nooks and corners of the hill state. Villages, towns and offices are decorated with Christmas trees and Christmas songs reverberated throughout the mountainous state.

Various Church bodies, organisations and individuals have donated gifts to the poor and the needy. The Governor and the Chief Minister have also donated funds for various orphanage homes and Care Centres.

In Meghalaya, state Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said that his department is sponsoring the decorations in Shillong and in Tura. Previous years, private parties were involved in decorating important installations in the two cities but this year the Tourism Department came forward in a big way to showcase how Meghalaya celebrates Christmas.

Besides a large number of tourists, a large number of people from outside the state gather in the state while hotel rooms are booked months in advance. The hill state’s picturesque beauty along with festive colourful decorations adds a special charm to the place which is hardly seen anywhere else.

In Nagaland, marking the festive season, educational institutes are on winter vacation while all government offices have also been closed from December 22 till January 1. While shops, markets and business establishments and shopkeepers put up a huge number of additional stalls on streets in state capital Kohima and commercial hub Dimapur where people were busy in making purchases.

People were also seen revelling in groups and churches were holding prayer services since Saturday. Churches across the state have arranged for special services and feasts to celebrate the occasion.

–IANS