Colourful baubles, Christmas tree ornaments in various shapes and hues, and different sizes of the Star of David... all these and more are on sale near St. Mary’s Basilica at Shivajinagar here.
X’Mas festivalThe festive spirit is palpable even at Russell Market nearby, which is the oldest market after K.R. Market in the city. The market is all decked up and traders have left no stone unturned to ensure that shoppers have a wide variety to choose from. That apart, they have also organised the annual Special X’Mas Festival that will be held on December 24 and 25.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mohammed Idrees Choudhury, general secretary, Russell Market Fruits and Vegetable Traders’ Association, told The Hindu that the association had also organised an exotic fruits and cake show as part of the festival. Two special cakes were commissioned specially for the occasion; one was a cake inspired by cine actor Rajnikanth’s yet-to-be-released film “Kochadiyaan” and another inspired by Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s film “Jai Ho”. He said special items such as chocolates and fruits from across the world and dry fruits from Jordan and Israel will be on sale. “These dry fruits are considered auspicious, as they are believed to be from the land where Jesus Christ was born,” he added.
OrganisersADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Choudhury said that until 1983, the festival was being organised by the city corporation, which owns the market. “Special competitions would be held and prizes including gold medals would be given away to the traders with the best produce and shop.However, over the years, this was stopped for unknown reasons. But the traders’ association, which did not want the tradition to die out, have continued to organise the festival,” he said.