Parish pride

At the 16th-century St Andrew’s Church in Bandra, Christmas celebrations go on for an entire month with music, decorations, food and charity.

St Andrew’s Church stands on the Bandra seashore. It is one of the oldest church buildings in the city. Its Portuguese-style façade graces a Catholic-dominated locality and was completed around 1575.

St Andrew’s was the only church in Bandra until the early 17th century. It is one of several churches built by Portuguese Jesuits in Mumbai. These churches, some of the oldest in India, reflect the city’s long association with the Portuguese. When the British took over the city, they built their own churches. As a result, there is now in Mumbai a large community or Christians of different denominations. Christmas is a prominent festival in the city.

Apart from being a place of worship, St Andrew’s Church is a rich architectural repository and also houses a small museum. In its compound stands one of the largest and oldest crosses. The priest, Father Vincent, is proud of the historic church with which he is associated, and of its ancient lineage.

At St Andrew’s, Christmas festivities are spread over a whole month. Preparations begin a few weeks ahead of Christmas. People of the parish join in to decorate the church. Together they drape curtains and fabric, in white and cream shades, across the ceiling. Then, illuminated stars as much as 2 ft wide are hung around the church; lightbulbs inside them make them twinkle and glow. Around a dozen cribs, illustrating the birth of Jesus Christ, are made and placed in various corners. Other churches as well as homes in the neighbourhood are brightly embellished with colourful lights. One can find candles and wax articles in a variety of shapes, ranging from houses to babies to stars.

The 16th-century wooden altars, carved and painted in the Portuguese style, are flounced with cloth. The wooden panels depicting Christ’s resurrection are lit up with lights, as are other features.

On Christmas Eve, well-organised carol groups of 15 young Christians each go around the area singing. The groups also visit hospitals to sing Christmas songs and carols for patients and staff. Group leaders coordinate with the local youth to present daily musical programmes, at which ordinary people from all nearby communities can join in and sing along with the traditional jingles. This year, for an extra musical boost, a “Lady Gaga’s Christmas Tree” is promised.

At 10 pm on Christmas Eve a grand mass begins, and lasts for half an hour. This is followed by a choir arranged for the evening. It performs in the St Andrew’s schoolground next to the church. The members of the choir are musically literate people; they sing while standing amidst other attendees in the schoolground. Around 6,000 Catholics of the parish participate in these Christmas celebrations, but the schoolground gathering is open to all.

Families come together to exchange Christmas dishes, traditional delicacies, like cakes and cookies, which is another essential part of the Christmas festival.

The St Andrew’s parish is divided into communities. Each community doles out funds and gift hampers, which are distributed to more than 175 senior citizens and house-bound people in the area. This year, in comparison with earlier years, more food and eatables have been arranged for this distribution. Father Vincent says that this year more funds have been collected for the purpose of distributing more food to the old and house-bound.

Jennifer, 29, is a regular church visitor and looks forward to contributing as much as she can, in food and funds. She says the celebrations must make oneself as well as others happy and that it is important to help the poor and needy. “We should give back to Jesus through them,” she says.

“The spirit of Christmas here is more serene and sound,” says Peter Fernandes, 62. “It is more touching than any other place for me.”