Festivity fervour surges as GH all set to welcome Christmas amid protests

TURA: Christmas… There is no festival quite like it in the Garo Hills. It is a time for families to reunite and partake in thanksgiving. It is the season of giving, love, spirit and joy.
After a week of protests across the state over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (now Citizenship Amendment Act) fuelling concern and fear, an aura of festivity has finally descended on the Garo Hills with the Christmas bells chiming and the trees colorfully lit up in preparation for the biggest religious and colorful festival.
Scenes of people queuing up across gas stations to stock up fuel just a couple of days back has now given way to crowds bustling at the town centre, Tura Bazar, for Christmas shopping.
This has been the best week for merchants dealing in clothes and shoes.
“The protests, last week, had severely affected our trade and we were extremely worried if we would be able to even sell 25 per cent of the stock we had brought over. But seeing the huge crowd of shoppers since Monday, we are delighted,” traders from the Tura super market revealed.
Chaotic scenes witnessed across clothes stalls give an indication of the kind of bustling business that has taken over in Tura.
With each passing day, the number of shoppers has been rising staggeringly. So much so that even the Tura police have set up a parking lot at the Police Parade Ground to accommodate the large flow of vehicles into the market zone.
With traffic snarls extending all the way from Ringrey to Tura market, shoppers are being advised to head in early for shopping as the longest traffic jams are being witnessed during evening hours.
With the peak Christmas season having taken over, Tura Bazar is having to cater not just to the town’s population but hundreds of eager shoppers from other districts, particularly Williamnagar, Baghmara, Dalu, Ampati, Dadenggre and hundreds of villages connected to the West Garo Hills district headquarters.
Brisk sale on woolies and Christmas decorations has added to the flutter of activity in the town as people made a beeline for purchasing coloured lights for their decorations, and woolen caps and gloves to tackle the winter chill that has descended all over the region.
The celebratory mood is not just in the Garo Hills but has spread to both Shillong and Guwahati as families head to these two major cities for shopping. It is also a boon for commercial vehicles, particularly Sumos and Xylos, which has been having full-capacity passengers for the last couple of days.
Traditional Song and dance ushers in celebrations
People of Garo Hills have, for long, cherished the ancient songs of Christmas sung over bonfires and passed on from generation to generation.
As the season to celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus Christ once again returns to Garo Hills, these wonderful songs with inspirational words have been rekindled in the hearts and minds of the people.
Edenbari Isolni Bagan, Donga Uno Ma’mantibolrang…., Chengo Mande Siode, A’o gope Galjana…., Okamgen Roll Salgio, Seokgimin Jatrangko…., Sin’karini Balsrio Hai An’ching Rona…, Atchijok Baro Bajio…., Ma’gipa Detangko Tom’tomao Tuata…, Patmos Sagal Chichang Donga Anga Saksan…, and Sin’karini Ka’sinao Suurirangni Boksogimao…  are the songs that reverberate across the villages in Garo Hills as young boys and girls, assisted by elders, spend their evenings dancing around a decorated Christmas tree in open fields.
Such is the momentum that the throngs jostle for space on the dance floor, often continuing late into the night. Such community singing and dancing sessions will be at its biggest on the Christmas Eve.
The atmosphere is already seen vehemently electrifying as groups of youngsters, beating traditional drums, march along highways all the way from Chotimapara Village, after Paikan, through Kongkhal Village, Bajengdoba, Mendal, Rari, Jengjal, Rongram and into Tura.
Similar events are taking place in Kharkutta, Rajasimla-Resubelpara region- the birth place of Christianity in the Garo Hills.
One of the unique celebrations already taking place in the villages, particularly Northern Garo Hills, known famously as Salgro Jol is the SongKritan where hundreds of men and women beat musical instruments and dance from one corner of the village to another to celebrate Christmas. Already, people have been heading from towns to villages to witness, join and celebrate these programmes.