In a fun-filled evening for tourists, guests, invitees and hotel staff, Christmas and New Year celebrations began with a cake mixing ceremony as 150 kilograms of dry fruits were mixed with 24 litres of the finest spirits in a hotel in Visakhapatnam.
The intoxicating aroma of the cake mixing ceremony at The Gateway Hotel in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state brought alive the rich tradition that heralds the spirit of the festival.
At the hotel's lobby, scores of visitors participated in the annual ritual and enthusiastically arranged and mixed the colourful dry fruit with rum, vodka, brandy and other spirits.
Chef of the hotel, Sarat Chandra Bannerjee, said that this was organised to resume normal life after cyclone Hudhud struck the city in October.
"We started again after the cyclone affect. We want the city and ourselves to get into the festive mood and come back to the normal life in Vizag. So the festival mood starts with this cake mixing ceremony," Bannerjee said.
He also added that the cakes and Christmas pudding, baked using the dry fruits blend and topped with crispy caramel, will be kept on display for visitors on December 22.
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Meanwhile, tourists from Russia who participated in the ceremony said they thoroughly enjoyed participating in such a unique ceremony.
"This is so cool. It is such a lovely way of mixing and gesture for the city and also making the feel start of Christmas, feels so warm and welcome," said a tourist, Dmitry.
After kneading, the mixture of dry fruits will be stored in an air tight container and allowed to ferment for at least a month.
The centuries old cake mixing ceremony is a ritual religiously followed all over the world and regarded as harbinger of good times.