Christmas is all about community for the Gond tribe in India
Parish church is the focal point for the 15-day celebration
A woman from the Gond tribe in central India takes care of her son. (Photo: Noah Seelam/AFP)
Christmas for members of the indigenous Gond tribe in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is a 15-day event.
It has to include community meals, much singing and dancing, and Masses and confession at the local parish church.
"We eagerly wait for Christmas every year. It is a community celebration for us," Prahlad Singh Maravi, a 25-year-old Catholic from the state’s tribal district of Dindori told ucanews.com.
Maravi said members of the Gond tribe organize community meals, sing carols, dance and share the message of Christ through their folk music for 15 days till Christmas.
His St. Norbert Church in the district, built in 1943, comes under Jabalpur Diocese. The parish has 183 Catholic families belonging to the Gond tribe. The 850 parishioners are spread across 20 villages in the district.
The Gond are designated by the Indian government as belonging to "scheduled tribes" — an administrative concept given to historically disadvantaged indigenous people in India.
The Gond, with their numerous sub tribes, are the largest indigenous group in central India with a population of 10 million. Apart from Madhya Pradesh, the tribe is also found in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh states.
According to Father Walter Khalkho, the parish priest, community members during the 15 days prior to Christmas come together for fellowship as well as special prayers, confession, readings from the Bible.
"After prayers, everyone sings and dances as per tribal customs," added the priest who is also from an indigenous group.
Folk songs are especially written for Christmas as they sing songs with titles such as "Let us go and see Jesus Christ Born in the Manger" and read biblical descriptions related to the Nativity.
"We start our carols at 4 in the afternoion and wind up before midnight," Maravi said.
Om Prakash Yadav, another parishioner, told ucanews.com that at the end of the Mass, parishioners along with the parish priest have a communal meal prepared by the villagers who donate the food.
"These kind of meals, the singing and dancing strengthens relationships," Father Khalkho said.
Indian artists from the Gond tribe get ready to perform on the eve of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on Aug. 8, 2015. (Photo Noah Seelam/AFP)
Since the parish is spread over 20 villages, some of which are quite remote, the parish church is the focal point of Christmas festivities. Father Khalkho says he arranges transport and accommodation for those who would otherwise struggle to get to the church.
"I started [this custom] because I often found the elderly and sick find it difficult to visit the church," the priest said.
Almost "every Catholic gets the chance to attend at least 10-12 Masses during the Advent season and everyone gets a chance to confess," he added.
For Ajay Dhurve, it is the carol singing and dancing that he looks forward to every year.
"We hardly get the chance to celebrate with everyone. This is a time when young and old are together," he told ucanews.com.
The men and women dress in traditional costumes at Christmas. The men generally wear a white loincloth with a kurta (shirt with long sleeves) and red turban.
Women wear pale orange saris, silver bangles on their wrists and ankles, nose rings made from sliver or gold and flowers and ribbons in their hair.
For midnight Christmas Mass, they all sing carols and head to the church in a procession, dancing to the beat of tribal folk music, Dhurve said.
After Mass, they continue singing and dancing until dawn and then prepare a grand community meal with fish, lamb, chicken and other tribal delicacies.
After the meal is over they exchange pleasantries and head for home.
"We also offer special prayers in our houses after returning from the church and sprinkle holy water from the church in our homes," Maravi said.
"Our celebrations come to an end with our family dinner."
It has to include community meals, much singing and dancing, and Masses and confession at the local parish church.
"We eagerly wait for Christmas every year. It is a community celebration for us," Prahlad Singh Maravi, a 25-year-old Catholic from the state’s tribal district of Dindori told ucanews.com.
Maravi said members of the Gond tribe organize community meals, sing carols, dance and share the message of Christ through their folk music for 15 days till Christmas.
His St. Norbert Church in the district, built in 1943, comes under Jabalpur Diocese. The parish has 183 Catholic families belonging to the Gond tribe. The 850 parishioners are spread across 20 villages in the district.
The Gond are designated by the Indian government as belonging to "scheduled tribes" — an administrative concept given to historically disadvantaged indigenous people in India.
The Gond, with their numerous sub tribes, are the largest indigenous group in central India with a population of 10 million. Apart from Madhya Pradesh, the tribe is also found in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh states.
According to Father Walter Khalkho, the parish priest, community members during the 15 days prior to Christmas come together for fellowship as well as special prayers, confession, readings from the Bible.
"After prayers, everyone sings and dances as per tribal customs," added the priest who is also from an indigenous group.
Folk songs are especially written for Christmas as they sing songs with titles such as "Let us go and see Jesus Christ Born in the Manger" and read biblical descriptions related to the Nativity.
"We start our carols at 4 in the afternoion and wind up before midnight," Maravi said.
Om Prakash Yadav, another parishioner, told ucanews.com that at the end of the Mass, parishioners along with the parish priest have a communal meal prepared by the villagers who donate the food.
"These kind of meals, the singing and dancing strengthens relationships," Father Khalkho said.
Indian artists from the Gond tribe get ready to perform on the eve of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on Aug. 8, 2015. (Photo Noah Seelam/AFP)
Since the parish is spread over 20 villages, some of which are quite remote, the parish church is the focal point of Christmas festivities. Father Khalkho says he arranges transport and accommodation for those who would otherwise struggle to get to the church.
"I started [this custom] because I often found the elderly and sick find it difficult to visit the church," the priest said.
Almost "every Catholic gets the chance to attend at least 10-12 Masses during the Advent season and everyone gets a chance to confess," he added.
For Ajay Dhurve, it is the carol singing and dancing that he looks forward to every year.
"We hardly get the chance to celebrate with everyone. This is a time when young and old are together," he told ucanews.com.
The men and women dress in traditional costumes at Christmas. The men generally wear a white loincloth with a kurta (shirt with long sleeves) and red turban.
Women wear pale orange saris, silver bangles on their wrists and ankles, nose rings made from sliver or gold and flowers and ribbons in their hair.
For midnight Christmas Mass, they all sing carols and head to the church in a procession, dancing to the beat of tribal folk music, Dhurve said.
After Mass, they continue singing and dancing until dawn and then prepare a grand community meal with fish, lamb, chicken and other tribal delicacies.
After the meal is over they exchange pleasantries and head for home.
"We also offer special prayers in our houses after returning from the church and sprinkle holy water from the church in our homes," Maravi said.
"Our celebrations come to an end with our family dinner."
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