Like every year, people in Mumbai came together to ring in the Christmas festivities – from shop fronts shimmering with fairy lights to a Santa hat cropping up frequently in crowds even as hawkers across the city try to sell their wares (I have reindeer ears now).
Speaking of wares, the popular markers at Hill Road, Crawford Market, and IC Colony (Borivali) embrace the festive season like no other. Even beyond shopping, many areas in Mumbai have festive decorations around every corner – the wreaths and lights create a captivating atmosphere.
A stroll down Waterfield Road, for instance, or the picturesque Ranwar village (read Aditi Suryavanshi’s piece about it here) is enough to feel the holiday spirit. If you’re around, be sure to not miss the annual display that the Damian showroom puts up, designed by Frederick Pereira. As evening set, a crowd assembled in mere minutes (not even a fraction is captured here), all with their phones or cameras out. Some were on video calls with loved ones and others were trying to get the ‘holiday card’ worthy picture.
Across the city, several churches too welcome the festival; many hold midnight mass, some host Christmas markets, and almost all deck the halls. One such church, namely the St. Andrews Church in Bandra is said to be more than 400 years old (while figures differ, most date the church to the 1570s) and the midnight mass held at the Cathedral of the Holy Name, Colaba is widely popular (the church also boasts of stunning Neo-Gothic architectural details).
The Christmas public attractions in Mumbai don’t end there as more than one location in Bandra (and around) hosts their version of a ‘Christmas Wonderland’. Live shows and bouncy castles welcomed us at one such location but so did a massive crowd (if our confident auto driver was right, the one at Carter Road is open till 2 January).
While the holiday spirit in general (or the ghosts of Christmas past) are difficult to all capture in picture, here are a few glimpses into how Mumbai transformed this holiday season.
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