Hyderabad: City churches deck up to usher in Christmas

Hyderabad: On the eve of Christmas, the city of pearls glowed up with the festive spirit, as churches and chapels were all decked up with twinkling lights, models of Santa Claus, and Christmas trees were installed. Few churches in the city have put up tableaus of the birth of Jesus Christ which are so elaborate and beautiful that visiting it has become a popular Christmas pursuit. On Sunday evening people were seen thronging to churches to be part of midnight mass. This year along with churches, many voluntary organisations celebrated pre-Christmas for a social cause. Apple Home Real Need India Foundation, organised ‘Christmas Carnival, Mix, and Mingle’ to raise awareness and support Mission Bhadrata, a noble cause. They also distributed innerwear to two lakh girl children.

St Joesph’s Cathedral church Gunfoundry, Abids has also attracted a crowd with its grand lighting and the huge Christmas tree at its entrance, spanning through the entire facade of the structure. This year the decorations are grand, bringing in many more people. The celebrations will continue till the year-end. “On December 31 we will have a vigil mass as well,” said one of the members, St Joseph's Cathedral, Gunfoundry, Abids.

Charles Frank, an IT employee, said, “Christmas for us is a month-long celebration, the carol singing begins on the first Sunday of the month. The food preparations begin a week or two before Christmas and go on till New Year. Being a member of the choir group of St Mary’s Church, Secunderabad we have been spreading Christmas cheer by visiting parishioners' homes. After a session of carols, the choirs and households exchange greetings and sweets, marking a heart warming tradition.”