Before coming to India, I heard many stories, that in India, all religious festivals are celebrated with same zest and fervor. But somehow I was never convinced with the idea... how come an Hindu state celebrates a festival of another religion with same zeal. And today, when I sit back and think, I feel how wrong I was. Today, I know why India is called a secular democratic nation.

Since I was in India during the time of Christmas, I became a close spectator of the processions and gaiety attached with Christmas. The fun and frolic starts from 23 rd December. People of all the religion equally participate in the merriment. And since New Year is near, it doubles up the spirit and enthusiasm of Indian people.

I noticed an interesting fact that the celebration of Christmas in India is held different in different parts of this diverse country. If in the North East it is celebrated in one way, in the South West it is done in a different way. In fact, all the news and entertainment channels showed news about the fiesta held in diverse India. As I checked out the news channels, I came to know the various way of celebrating Christmas in India. Christians in the plains decorate mango or banana trees at Christmas time. Sometimes they also decorate their houses with mango leaves. In some parts of India, small clay oil-burning lamps are used as Christmas decorations; they are placed on the edges of flat roofs and on the tops of walls. Churches are decorated with poinsettias and lit with candles for the Christmas Eve service. In fact, one abode that is quite famous for Christmas and New year celebration is Goa. People from all over the world throng to this seductive abode to be a part of exotic fiesta.

Since I was living in a good luxury hotel, the mood for the fiesta was all together different. In my hotel, expensive christmas trees were decorated with stars and tinsels, toys, plastic fruits. All the nearby shops were decorated with lights and colourful stips of papers. Almost all of them had a X-mas tree on the main gate. "Wow! India is not a poor country" I thought as I strolled through the expensive posh shops of Delhi and nearby places. In fact, the best time to explore the place during festivals are evenings, when all bulbs illuminates the dawn making it look more beautiful.

Since this was the first time I was away from my family during Christmas time, I thought of buying gifts for my children and wife from India itself. As I entered a famous Indian shop for Kids, Kidz wear, I was surprised to see a Santa...........more interestingly the Santa was surrounded by handful of kids. They all were waiting to get their gifts. I also saw Santa in some streets and departmental stores who deploy Santa to entertain their kid-customers. In the major cities of India caroling processions are also seen on streets and thoroughfares.

Although, the country is majorly occupied by Hindus and Muslim population, yet Christmas is celebrated with much fanfare in this secular country. The day is observed as a holiday and people irrespective of their religion enjoy it along with the Christians. To be modest, by the end of the fest, all my perceptions were cleared. Although I missed my family, but not the fun... it was an absolute delight to celebrate Christmas in India.