Wreaths of love, joy, and colours twirl the Christmas Eve in Karachi

Markets are crowded as the Christmas shopping comes to its final phase

KARACHI: A little smile, a word of cheer,

A bit of love, from someone near,

A little gift from one held dear,

Best wishes for the coming year 

This is what makes a merry Christmas. As the Christian community geared up on Monday evening to complete their last minute preparations, markets in Saddar were seen crowded. A spring of Christmas trees appeared; some of which were green, others green and white and yet others just white. Clothes and gifts for children were everywhere while bakeries and cake-making companies were busy in preparing numerous orders for Christmas cakes. Foreign ambassadors and staff members also headed to Bohri Bazar for Christmas shopping while lanes of the market were exploding with a merry view of green trees.

Christmas tree tradition

Christmas trees and decorations add a spark to Christmas as the joys are incomplete without them. The healthy green Christmas tree symbolises hope and an everlasting life. Decorating homes with green twigs and plants is a part of the Ancient Roman tradition that is specially done in winters and on New Year's Eve. The pointed end of the Christmas tree rising towards the sky highlights the connection of man with the creator of the universe.



From the last few years, there has been an increase in demand for Christmas trees. The ones most in demand are those that are 10-12 feet high. Made with plastic layering on iron wires, these Christmas trees are placed in hotels, trade centres, embassies and churches. With the rise in inflation and dollar rates, the prices of Christmas trees and their décor has risen too.



Bohri Bazar on Christmas

According to shopkeepers of the Bohri Bazar, the buying capacity of Christian community in Karachi is already quite low and now it's accompanied by uncontrollable inflation. With the depreciating value of the rupee, Christmas ornaments have become 20-25% more costly. The price of an 8-10ft long Christmas tree is Rs1,000 costlier than last year. A tree that is 10ft high is being sold for Rs6,000. The decoration items to decorate the trees are purchased separately which include shining stars, small Christmas bells, little Santas and icy bulbs. The shopkeepers observe that the shopping for Christmas items begins from the start of December and continue till Christmas Eve. A visible increase in purchases is seen in the week right before Christmas.



Symbolism of Christmas decorations

Christmas bells, amongst all decoration items, are loved the most as the bells symbolise the arrival of the season and to proclaim the birth of Christ. Bells are also traced back to pagan winter celebrations as noisemakers were used to scare away evil spirits in the night. The red bells reflect the colour of holly berries, which also had pagan symbolism during the winter celebrations in ancient Rome. Green is another popular colour for Christmas bells that signifies everlasting light and life.

These bells are sold according to their sizes starting at Rs100 and going up to Rs500 each. They are made from plastic used only for decoration on the trees. The Christmas wreath is also an essential part of the decorations. The wreath made from flowers, ribbons and twigs are placed on doors of houses. The round wreath symbolises unconditional love from God. Snowmen are also used, despite the fact that there is no snow in Karachi, they are of utter importance in Christmas as it highlights the sensation of snowfall. In Bohri Bazar, statues of snowmen in big and small sizes are also sold along with huge Christmas stars to be placed on top of the Christmas tree.



Santa clothes

Santa Claus' clothes and caps are a major attraction for children amongst the Christian community. Children like dressing up in Santa clothes to personify Santa Claus who spreads joy and love. Due to the lack of purchasing power of new clothes, shopkeepers at Bohri Bazar usually stock up red and white coloured jackets or coats. Many people prefer buying the Santa clothes from foreign markets and then resell them right after Christmas. The used costumed are sold at Bohri Bazar at a cost of Rs500-1500.

Santa Claus clothes are available for newly-born children as well as for the elderly who love to adapt Santa Claus' appearance to distribute joys of Christmas. The Santa clothes in large sizes are available at a cost of Rs2,500-Rs3,000. Popular items from the costume remain Santa caps that are available at a cost of Rs50-100.

Sharing love

On Christmas, apart from the Christian community, people from other communities also present cakes to their friends. Bakeries have prepared special cakes that are sold all day long. Along with that, five-star hotels of the cities and large-scale cake shops have specially prepared Christmas themed desserts, sales of which have already begun. Courier companies are also providing special cake-delivery service for the day.

The sweets and bakers shops on Jail Road and Bahadurabad are seen crowded while the bakeries in Saddar are receiving huge orders for cakes. The manager of a cake shop situated near Guru Mandir, told The Express Tribune that on Christmas mostly small and medium-sized ice-cream cakes, chocolate cakes, and crunch cakes are sold. People love gifting dry fruit cakes to their friends as a speciality of winter.

In Christmas days, the Christian community serves cakes to their guests. The bakeries situated in Christian neighbourhoods are highly profitable during this time and it goes through till the New Year holidays. The Christian community also sends cakes to their friends of other communities contributing to interfaith harmony.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2018.