Odisha Review December - 2013 God’s Gift of Hope : Christmas, Showers in the Cuttack City Bandana Pattnaik Christmas, the Feast of the Nativity, speaks of day exactly nine months after early Christians the relationship between God and humanity. believed Jesus to have been conceived, or with Christmas is the feast of the birth of God as a one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that human child, born of a young virgin woman, Mary. occurred near southern solstice (i.e., the Christmas tells of God becoming a human person Roman winter solstice); a further solar connection and entering the ups and downs of the human has been suggested because of condition.”Christmas” is a a biblical verse identifying compound word originating in the Jesus as the "Son of term “Christ’s Mass”. CHRIST, righteousness". a translation of Hebrew “Messiah”, meaning “anointed”. Christians celebrate the Christmas, is an annual birth of Jesus to the Virgin commemoration of the Mary as a fulfilment of the Old birth of Jesus Christ and a Testament’s Messianic widely observed holiday, prophecy. The Bible contains celebrated generally on 25th two accounts which describe December by billions of the events surrounding Jesus’ people around the world. birth. Depending on one’s perspective, these accounts While the birth year of either differ from each other or Jesus is estimated among modern tell two versions of the same historians to have been between story. These biblical 7 and 2 BC, the exact month and day of his birth are unknown. His accounts are found in birth is mentioned in two of the four canonical the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18, gospels. By the early-to-mid 4th century, and the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26 the Western Christian Church had placed and 2:40. According to these accounts, Jesus was Christmas on 25th December, a date later born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, adopted in the East. The date of Christmas may in the city of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ have initially been chosen to correspond with the Bethlehem Bethlehem. 64 December - 2013 Odisha Review All is calm....all is bright, in the city of Cuttack:- (a time of wonder) Christians in Cuttack city celebrate Christmas in various ways. In addition to this day, being one of the most important and popular for the attendance of Church services, there are other devotions and popular traditions. In some Christian denominations, children re-enact the events of the Nativity with animals to portray the event with more realism or sing carols with reference to the event. A long artistic tradition has grown on producing painted depictions of Orissa, India, and hymn writer. He published the the nativity in art. Nativity scenes are traditionally first English grammar of the Odia set in a stable with livestock and include Mary, language (1831), a History (1839), and Joseph, the infant Jesus in the manger, the three Geography (1840), then the first dictionary of the wise men, the shepherds and their sheep, the Oriya language (1841-3) and translated the Bible angels, and the Star of Bethlehem. Some into the Oriya language. Christians in Cuttack also display a small re- creation of the Nativity, known as a Nativity scene, At the age of 21, he was recruited by in their homes, using figurines to portray the key General Baptist Foreign Missionary Society for characters of the event. The final preparations for missionary service. He is trained for the ministry Christmas are made on Christmas Eve, and many under J.G. Pike, founder of the Connexion’s families’ major observation of Christmas actually Missionary Society in Derby. After a brief period falls in the evening of this day in Cuttack. in home ministry, he was sent as a missionary to India in 1824 by Baptist Missionary Society two When was Cuttack blessed with the years after William Bampton and James Peggs, Christmas gift ? the first two Baptist missionaries, had entered We the people of Cuttack city are very Odisha. much obliged to have celebrate Christmas with Missionary work in Cuttack pomp and show all because of the founder of “The Baptist Church”. The contribution of Rev Amos The missionary began the evangelism and Sutton Hayden is remarkable towards the recorded the first Oriya conversion in 1828. By Christian survivors in the city because for 1841, he trained three Odia evangelists at celebrating Christmas Church is of utmost Cuttack. By 1846, when the students increased importance. to eight, he formalised the class as the Cuttack Mission Academy. As Baptists Missionary Founder of Cuttack Odia Baptist Church Society was not able to support the Odisha (COBC):- missionary work, through his second wife he was Rev Amos Sutton Hayden (Sevenoaks in able to get contact details of American Free Will Kent, 1802-Cuttack, Odisha, August 17, 1854) Baptists. Sutton contacted Free Will Baptists was an English General Baptist Missionary to Mission mentioning the great needs of Orissa and 65 Odisha Review December - 2013 Preparations in all Churches get over early as the 30,000-old Christian community in the city is ready for their usual services and rituals. “The merriment associated with this festival would be back in place as before”, said a reveller. Christmas celebrations around all over Odisha vary markedly in form, reflecting differing cultural and national tradition. People from different places of Cuttack gather in the Cuttack Odia Baptist Church, which is the first General Baptist chapel in Odisha and was commenced in May, 1826. Dr. Amos Sutton adjoining Telugu speaking areas; accordingly, he stood upon the stone, delivered an appropriate received an invitation from the convention to visit address, and prayed, as well as gave out suitable America. hymns; Rev. Charles Lacey laid the first foundation As a hymn writer, he prepared the Odia’s stone. first hymn book—179 of the hymns being of his We opened the house on Lord’s-day, own composition. He composed hymns, November 5th, 1826. In the morning, Dr. Sutton especially for divine worship, public, private, and commenced by singing, social occasions. It looks, Amos Sutton’s hymns happens to be the Protestants first hymnal printed “Where shall we go to seek and find in India. On his visit to England in 1833, he A habitation for our God composed a farewell hymn—to the tune of Auld A dwelling for the’ eternal mind, lang syne - Hail sweetest, dearest tie that Amongst the son’s flesh and blood” binds - it soon became very popular and is still in TRADITIONAL CUISINE of Cuttack:- common use. Christmas glows with food Christmas Celebration in Cuttack :- A special Christmas family meal is Christmas Day is celebrated as a major traditionally an important part of the holiday’s festival and public holiday in Odisha, whose celebration, and the food that is served varies population is mostly non-Christian. In Cuttack, greatly from door to door. Some have special where Christmas is popular despite there being meals for Christmas Eve. A standard Christmas only a small number of Christians, have adopted meal includes turkey or goose meat, gravy, many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread and cider. as gift-giving, decorations, and Christmas trees. Special desserts are also prepared such Christians in Cuttack eagerly await grand as Christmas pudding and fruit A -carolling we Christmas celebrations. With conducive go making spirits bright:- atmosphere prevailing the usual grandeur that is The word carol comes from the French associated with this festival is likely to be back word Carole, meaning circle dance, or song of this time as people across the city have been praise and joy. The singing of carols did not gearing up for the occasion. originate with Christianity, but with the pagan 66 December - 2013 Odisha Review practice of celebrating the seasons. The Winter based on the story of Creation in the Book of Solstice celebration generally took place around Genesis: “And there was evening, and there was the 22nd of December. It was this time of the morning – the first day.” Many Churches in year that the Christians claimed for their own Cuttack ring their Church bells and celebration of the birth of Christ. Interestingly, hold prayers in the evening before holidays, which although the pagan celebrations took place during is the Scandinavian i.e, Christmas Eve is simply all four seasons, only the winter celebration has referred to as “Christmas Evening”. survived - not as a pagan celebration of season; Since Christian tradition holds but as the Christian celebration of Christmas. that Jesus was born at night (based in Luke 2:6- The door to door carol rounds are held 8), Midnight Mass is celebrated on Christmas in Cuttack which starts from 7 p.m and continues Eve, traditionally at midnight, in commemoration till midnight. People with full of energies and of his birth. The idea of Jesus being born at night excitement keep waiting for this particular hour is reflected in the fact that Christmas Eve is to arrive. Popular modern customs of the holiday referred to as Holy Night and the "Good Night" include gift giving, Christmas music and carolling, and similarly in other expressions of Christmas an exchange of Christmas cards, Church spirituality, such as the song "Silent Night, Holy celebrations, a special meal, and the display of Night". various Christmas decorations, including Christmas Eve is celebrated in different Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, ways in Cuttack, varying by place and locality. garlands, wreaths, mistletoe and holly. In addition, Elements common to many areas of Cuttack several closely related and often interchangeable include the attendance of special religious figures, known as Santa Claus, Father observances such as a midnight Mass or Vespers, Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christ kind, are and the giving and receiving of presents.