Great fervour accompanied celebrations in Kandhamal, a district marred by violence 15 years ago. For Fr Madan Singh, “Many tribal people of other faiths came with lighted candles to pay homage to the new born king in the crib.” The largest sand statue of Santa Claus in the world is made on Gopalpur beach.
Bhubaneswar (AsiaNews) – After two years of restrictions imposed by COVID-19, Christmas was celebrated with joy and participation in the Indian state of Odisha (Orissa), scene of brutal anti-Christian persecution 15 years ago.
In Kandhamal and Sundargarh, two districts with a very strong Christian presence, midnight Mass services were celebrated with fervour in churches, while numerous initiatives were undertaken in support of the poor.
Fr Madan Singh spoke to AsiaNews. He heads Jana Vikas, the social development centre in Kandhamal run by the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.
“People were excited to celebrate Christmas together again,” he said. “The holiday saw all the confessions together, the district administration organised a meeting of the Peace Committee, and the police were on alert.
“In the evening, every parish staged a nativity play. Many tribal people of other faiths came with lighted candles to pay homage to the new born king in the crib.”
Large numbers of people from every faith also queued up with lighted candles to pray at the crib at the St Vincent's Cathedral in Bhubaneswar.
The celebration was also enlivened by Sudarshan Patnaik, a sand sculptor who created a massive Santa Claus, eight metres high and 18 metres wide, on Gopalpur beach, using sand and tomatoes.
According to Patnaik, it is the largest of its kind in the world.