Christians worldwide celebrate December 25 as the day Jesus is born. Marked with midnight mass, carol singing, and feasting, Christmas day is the most important in their calendar. As with any festival, food plays a major part, and families feast with their near and dear ones.
In preparation for this holy day, Lucy Kohli, a Roman Catholic, says, “We soak dry fruits and plums for the cake a few weeks in advance, and closer to the date, we bake the cake and make rose cookies, kalkals, coconut patties and minced meat pies for the feast.” Desiree Taylor, a trainer at HSBC, started making grape wine as early as October and followed it with the prep for plum cake in November. She adds, “We are Anglo-Indians, but one of my friends is a Baptist and though they sing carols and decorate their homes with Christmas tree and lights like us, they don’t make wine or cake, so some customs vary from household to household.”
From lighting candles and attending Bible readings from the first Sunday of Advent up to Christmas, to preparing a complete English meal, Gail Williams, a mother of two, believes in following all traditions. She says, “We make roast turkey with stuffing, bread rolls, English stew, ginger wine and pudding for dinner.” She adds, “I have already mixed my cake with black currants, plums, raisins, cherries, ginger preserves and walnuts in rum, a recipe coming down the centuries in my family.” Shyril Lamm runs a crèche, and she and her son, Neil, also Anglo-Indians, believe in cooking and sharing a large meal. Shyril reminisces, “We are seven brothers and three sisters and I fondly remember the feast our mother cooked for Christmas. It is from her recipes that I learnt that the longer we soak the fruits, the more flavourful is the cake.”
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Kitchens are usually considered a woman’s bastion, but Naveen Anand proudly says, “I am the main cook for Christmas. My chicken roast with vegetables and the special plum cake I bake for lunch are a big hit with my family and friends.” Chippy Kurian is building a resort in Cochin, but with just a few weeks to go before Christmas, her entire focus now is on the celebration.
She says, “We are Orthodox Christians and while we started making wine early in November, we abstain from alcohol and meat from December 1 to 24, so the feast on Christmas is extra special. All family members join hands in the kitchen cooking meat and potatoes and in baking the quintessential chocolate cake.”
While customs are mostly the same, food varies from place to place. John Prakash, a marketing executive, says, “Usually the sprucing up of the house and the festival fervour starts as soon as winter sets in. We are locals, so our feast on the day comprises local Telugu food, with coconut rice and chicken pulao being the mainstay of our meal.” Rosama and Alex Bennett, both working professionals, confide, “As there is no dearth of good bakeries, many families nowadays prefer to buy the cake. We, however, make the mixture and give it to Fresh Choice to bake it for us. This not only saves time, but also ensures we have a fantastic cake.” In keeping with the spirit of joy and the tradition of baking a cake, many hotels in the city also organise cake mixing sessions, which receive an enthusiastic response. The joyous sounds of carols, the cool winter air and delectable food all herald the new year. To quote Charles Dickens, “Reflect upon your present blessings-of which every man has many-not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
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Fill your glass again, with a merry face and contented heart. Your Christmas shall be merry, and your new year a happy one!”