?It’s that time of the year when the aroma of freshly-baked cakes fill the air, people party way past midnight and homes are decked up to celebrate the Yuletide spirit. Residents are now busy with last-minute shopping and thronging garment shops, flower showrooms and bakeries. Churches have also dolled up for the midnight mass. The Telegraph gives you a low-down on the Christmas preparations in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack

Churches and prayers

The cathedrals in the twin cities are all decked up with fairy lights and models of Santa Claus and Christmas trees. Preparations are on in full swing in around 20 churches in both the cities.

At the two popular churches in Bhubaneswar, St Vincent’s Catholic Church at Janpath and Church of Christ (Union Church) at Satya Nagar, Midnight Mass has been arranged. Other celebrations include singing of the carol, reading of the Bible and exposition of its content. Prayers would be held both in English and Odia. “We began our celebrations a few days ago as programmes were held for youth and members of Sunday school,” said Father Mrityunjay B from St Vincent’s Catholic Church.

A special prayer seeking forgiveness will be organised from 9:45pm, which would be followed by special carols in various languages and other religious processions. Later, the birth of Jesus Christ will be observed by breaking of the word and bread after midnight.

Over 15,000 devotees are expected to join the mass prayers and celebrations at various churches tonight. Official sources said there was a heavy rush of devotees at the Baptist Church at Sutahat and the Holy Rosary Cathedral Church in Cuttack this evening.

Secret Santa

The western Christmas tradition of Secret Santa became quite popular this festive season. According to the tradition, members of a group randomly assign a person to whom they anonymously give a gift. Social networking sites have been flooded with posts of people sharing pictures of their Secret Santa gifts with their friends.

A few youngsters in the city have come up with innovative ideas to celebrate Christmas. While members of Sandhan, a youth group, are taking out poor kids to watch Dilwale (in picture), a group of students from Utkal University will dress themselves as Santa Claus and visit a few special schools in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

Members of the Bakul Foundation will travel across Bhubaneswar in a cart loaded with plant saplings and distribute them among the people. “Celebrating Christmas in this way is an attempt to create an emotional connect between individuals and trees. We will dress ourselves as Santa Claus and encourage people to plant trees,” said Sujit Mahapatra from the foundation.

Youths in Cuttack are also taking similar initiatives such as inviting the children of domestic helps for lunch and spending time with senior citizens.

Delicacies

Bakeries in the twin cities are bustling with activities. They are busy churning out delicately designed cakes and pastries. A number of confectionery houses such as Brown and Cream, Monginis, Paris Bakery, Congetti, Mio Amore and Mamma Mia have come up with their best offerings of plum cakes, fruitcakes, cookies and chocolates. The price of the cakes ranges between Rs 250 and Rs 2,500 depending on the flavour, size and design. A number of hotels and restaurants in the city have organised Christmas Eve parties. Hotels are serving Indian food as well as various international cuisines. Candlelight dinners and musical shows have been arranged to make the occasion memorable.

Lights and bells

From Santa masks to trees to bells, the city markets are flooded with accessories used to decorate homes on this occasion. This year, people are opting for LED lights instead of its Chinese counterparts, said a vendor. They are available in a number of colours and the price ranges between Rs 150 and Rs 500. “We have been busy shopping since the morning as a number of relatives and friends will start visiting us from tomorrow,” said Neji Biju Mathews, a home-maker from Cantonment Road. This year, a number of eye-catching bells and Santa caps with battery lights fitted on them have grabbed eyeballs.

Security & sculpture

Preparations are on in various other parts of the state, including Rourkela, Puri, Sambalpur and Koraput district. Elaborate security arrangements have been made across the districts to avoid any untoward incident during the 
Midnight Mass and special prayers. Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik has created a huge sand sculpture (see picture) to mark the festival.

 

Text by Anwesha Ambaly and Vikash Sharma, 
pictures by Ashwinee Pati, Badrika Nath Das and Sarat Patra