As Christianity adapts and spreads, Christmas takes novel forms – by Kul Bhushan
Santa Singh is an age-old name for Sikhs in Punjab who have adapted and become Santa Claus. Instead of ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ the call has been changed to ‘Balle, Balle’. The sleigh drawn by the four deer has become a carriage drawn by two horses.
The traditional ditty ‘Jingle Bells’ is replaced by a lusty Punjabi pop number called ‘Singhs Doing Khristmas’. Dressed as Santa Claus in traditional red coat and trousers is a big, burly Sardar with a flowing, long beard to complete the Christmas cheer.
Of course, there is a new twist to the time-honoured Yuletide greeting which is shouted as ‘Na teri, na meri, phir bhi Merry Christmas’, meaning ‘It is neither yours nor mine, and yet it is Merry Christmas’.
This surge of celebrating Christmas in Punjab in recent years is due to a number of factors, one of them being the rapid conversion of low-income Sikhs and Hindus to Christianity.
According to Wikipedia, the Punjab has a Christian population of around 350,000, which would be a mere 1.3 per cent of the total population. However, some media reports and Christian groups claim that the actual number of Christians in Punjab is close to 2.77 million, which would be about 15 per cent of the total population.
The first Christians came to Punjab from Armenia around the 11th-14th Century, followed by Jesuits during the Mughal era in the 16th Century. But the core group can be traced back to the British rule, when the first churches were established and missionaries came and started their work with schools and other social welfare projects:
The Ludhiana Mission was established in 1834. A Moga Training School for village teachers was set up in 1922 to spread the faith. An all-India Conference of Indian Christians was held in Lahore in the same year. By this time the Foreman Christian College was opened in Lahore.
The number of Christians increased gradually until India gained independence.
This trend did not slow down but gathered momentum in the last three decades and more so in the last decade. Churches and chapels mushroomed across Punjab and today most towns and even some villages have a church or at least a chapel.
A major factor in increased conversion has been the relaxation in adopting Christian names. Now the converts are not always renamed John or Joseph, but can carry on with their previous Sikh or Hindu names. Thus, they do not draw special attention and can still benefit from government quotas and schemes for low-income groups.
Among the other reasons for becoming a Christian are free education at their schools, free treatment at their clinics and hospitals and, above all, the lure of assistance in migration abroad.
If a local mission helps a single young person to settle in Canada, Australia or Britain, it is widely publicised as a bonus for becoming a Christian, and so attracts more people. So-called ‘miracle cures’ at highly dramatic rallies are also a factor.
Today, practically every Punjabi village, however small, has some Christians among them.
This rapidly-rising number of Christians came to the attention of Sikh leaders in 1922. Sikh radicals started to clash with Christians. And the chief of Akal Takhat, the highest Sikh religious body, Giani Harpreet Singh, claimed earlier this year that poor Sikhs and Hindus from backward classes were being converted by Christian missionaries.
The Christians, in their turn, claimed that a hate campaign had been launched against them and that the reason for the conversions was the discriminations faced by these low-income groups on the hand of the dominant groups.
The dream of every young Punjabi to settle abroad, and the active links to those who have settled already, appear to be a factor that pulls everyone to ape western culture and customs and celebrate their prime festival, Christmas.
Cheap Chinese Christmas trees, decorations and caps lure the children to buy and decorate their own Christmas tree in their homes.
Now they need the right music and the Punjabi singers are happy to oblige with numerous pop songs like Santa Singh and a Snowman by LittleSikhs. Punjab Christmas Hits on You Tube has over a dozen such songs. The videos of their relatives abroad dressed as Santa Claus and performing Bhangra dances in Canada, Australia and Britain also motivate them to celebrate likewise at home.
As Christians multiply in Punjab, Santa Claus or Santa Singh spreads the cheer with ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ and ‘Balle, Balle, Balle’.
Featured image cr to Redbridge Rotary Club, via FB
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