Mizoram celebrates Christmas with religious fervor, community feast to be held today

Aizawl: Christmas was celebrated in all parts of Mizoram with religious enthusiasm and traditional fervour to mark and commemorate the birth of Jesus.

All churches of different Christian denominations held special church services and congregational singing or service called ‘Zaikhawm’ on the day to celebrate the day.

Similar church services will be held in the evening and zaikhawm at night.

Christmas celebration began on Sunday evening locally known as “Urlawk zan” during which worship service, dedication of Christmas halls and congregational singing were held

The grand celebration was held on Monday as December 25 is usually regarded as the main event of the celebration and dedicated to worship during which church service, sermon on the birth of Jesus and congregational singing were held by all churches.

Community feasts, which formed an integral part of the Christmas celebration, will be held on Tuesday (December) 26 by most churches, including Mizoram Presbyterian church, while some churches in towns and rural areas held community feasts on Monday.

 In Mizoram, which celebrated the centenary of the arrival of Christianity back in 1994, Christmas is a blend of religious and traditional fervor.

Notwithstanding an English way of celebration, the proselytized Mizos follow their way of celebrating Christmas in tune with their historic traditions.

The government has banned firecrackers and other fireworks to ensure peaceful and pollution-free celebrations.

According to police, there was no law and order problem across the state on Monday.

For the Mizos, Christmas is a time for helping the needy.

Several NGOs, political parties, churches and groups have reached out to orphanage homes, rehabs and to poor families and donated charity both in cash and kind since pre-Christmas.

Historians recorded that the first Christmas on Mizoram soil was celebrated back in 1871, not by the Mizos but by the invading colonial British troops near the Tuivai river on the present Mizoram-Manipur border and the Mizo warriors attacked the soldiers during celebrations.