From biryani to plum cake: How Mumbai’s diverse homes celebrate Christmas

Mumbai is glowing with Christmas lights as can be seen in the many bylanes of Khotachiwadi Bandra Borivali and even as far as VasaiThe brightly lit up stars and Christmas trees adorn houses big and smallWhile these neighbourhoods boast a strong presence of East Indian Goan Mangalorean and even AngloIndian communities other localities in the city see people from parts of India who celebrate the festival in the cityAmong the widely known celebrations of these communities there lies the simmering faith of South Indiarsquos Christians these not only include those Kerala but also Tamil Nadu apart from other statesIt has been many years now that the former gets its due share of recognition usually attributed to giving India a version of the mouthwatering plum cake and specially curated menus by the likes of Kari Apla Aiyo Patrao NairOnFire and even Just Kerala among others who shine the light on these culinary and cultural traditions However it may not be the same for the Tamil Christians one of the statersquos other neighbouring southern cousins who also have their own way of celebrating there are visibly only a handful l including Tanjore Tiffin Room who pay tribute to Tamil Christmas traditionsThe limited options may sound like their celebrations are subdued but within pockets like Powai Vikhroli Sion and even Mira Road if not more midday has found that they shine bright like the north star on Christmas DayFondest and favourite memories of ChristmasIts visible in the preparations leading up to the festival that may not boast of monthlong food preparations but tightknit groups bringing people together through praise worship and songIts these very religious and choral traditions that ring through the streets in more than one language especially for Joy Manikumar who shares ldquoMy fondest memories of Christmas are going Carolling Christmas Carol singing to every church members house and singing Tamil and English Christmas songs its always fun to be with friends till late at nightrdquoIts a ritual the 22yearold continues even today amidst her busy academic scheduleIts no different for John Wesli Chelladurai who adds that apart from the carol rounds the traditions also include singing that proclaims the start of the Advent season and the joy of visiting families and friends here and around native that make it even more specialldquoBeing part of an elaborate Christmas nativity skit during my youth days in church latenight carol singing to every member of the congregation without getting tired or sleepy and then a few sessions of prayer and thanksgiving in honour of this wonderful occasion are also among my fondest memoriesrdquo reminisces the Mira Road residentJust like every other celebration Sionbased Jenifer Madhi say the good times have also been in the Christmas Eve ritual ldquoI have fond memories of the midnight mass something about getting ready the fuss and the chaos pretty much the textbook idea of celebration wearing new clothes sharing food and plum cakes makes it specialrdquoEven as she loves the ritual it will be a little less celebratory this year due to a death in the family because of which they havenrsquot gone big with the celebrations as they are in mourningElsewhere in the city Jerimson Edwin adds ldquoWhen I was younger we would go out with parents We were all so small so going out was a big thing Mummy making different sweets and then sharing it with our neighbours as wellrdquoWhile his favourite part is telling people about Jesus Christ and Christmas he says it extends to a larger community ldquoWe have a small gettogether with family and friends playing games together and sipping on Pepsi and eating cake from Iyengar Bakery too These are all also my family ritualsrdquo adds the 26yearold from PowaiChristmas food traditions among Mumbairsquos TamilsWhile these can only be considered as a glimpse of the celebrations Jerimson says there is more ldquoThe Christmas feast usually includes grilled chicken tandoori Mughlai food and even different types of HandisThere is also mutton especially the Nalli part along with some paya soup Parotta with some salna a popular South Indian streetstyle curry eaten in Tamil Nadu and fried chicken Biryani is a mustDrinks would be the regular soft drinksrdquo the Mumbaikar lists out the menu showcasing the love for traditional delicacies in a feast influenced by the melting pot of cultures that we call MumbaiOn the other hand Joy says many different lesserknown food items form a part of the Christmas delicacies at her home ldquoWe usually give Christmas snacks and sweets like achu murukku commonly called achappam in Kerala and rose cookies elsewhere in India adirasam and plum cakes to our neighbours and have biryani for lunch and dinner at homeHowever its Christmas breakfast which is personally her favourite ldquoSouth Indian breakfast it is We usually have breakfast together in church so it must be muttonchicken curry which are symbolic meats for the celebration paired with either idlis dosas or appamsrdquoAmong the many highlights for Janifer is one treat ldquoOur family ritual was relishing plum cakes by sharing them since the beginning of Advent with everyone Eating way too much ourselves We never had them any other time of the yearrdquo shares the 24yearold professor gleefullyBut if you ask her beyond that the Sion resident adds ldquoWe also enjoy biryani and traditional South Indian breakfast the next day As a hardcore Tamil breakfast fan I enjoyed Idiyapam puttu Idli and chickenrdquoChanging times changing celebrationsEven as the trio highlight the food they love Christmas is more for John because he says the feast usually includes chicken or mutton as per the traditional practice in their home but believes there is more to the celebration than foodldquoIve noticed that earlier Christmas was celebrated more in spirit and reverence with the focus on the message of Christs birth and sharing this good news with others However over the years it has transformed from a soulful celebration to a theme party with materialistic factors involving Santa Christmas trees red and green extravaganzas which kind of misses the entire point of ChristmasrdquoWhile food is important he intends to continue staying true to his familyrsquos tradition as praise and worship form the centre of his celebrations this yearJerimson notices a different kind of changeHe explains ldquoRelatives used to come home have good fellowship Moms sisters talking about their native place Dads talking about politics and cousins talking about the latest trends I used to get very happy during December because of the decorations and festive vibe However now we are all grown up busy with office work and parents are getting oldrdquoEven Madhi feels the same She shares ldquoIts become an annual celebration of social media wishes and stories My memories have been shared with my cousins but they are not around because they are all married and must cater to two families now So now its only a few people who are mostly guestsrdquoEven in such times Joy finds hope ldquoWe dont decorate our house anymore but the Christmas spirit still feels very presentrdquo she concludesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever