Christianity originated in the city of Jerusalem in present day Israel more than two thousand years before. The life and teachings of Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnation of the Son of God or the Messiah (Saviour of Humanity), form the core of Christianity and Christian beliefs, as recorded in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, the sacred book of the religion. Christianity came to India in 52 AD of the 1st century, twenty years after the crucifixion of Christ, when one of his apostles, Saint Thomas, landed in the Malabar Coast in present day Kerala, South India. He established a few churches and converted a number of local inhabitants to Christianity. This was the first Christian settlement in India - the Syrian Christians, one of the oldest Christian communities of the world. As a result of differing interpretations of the Christian scriptures, different church denominations and traditions have sprung up since the 17th century, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church and several independent others, with their own liturgies and traditions. But majority of the Christian population in India adheres to the Roman Catholic Church.
Christian Festivals in India
The most prominent Christian festivals celebrated with pomp and revelry in India includes Christmas, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Christmas
The most important Christian festival of Christmas is celebrated all across the country with immense joy, fervour and excitement. Celebrated universally worldwide on the grandest scale on the 25th day of December, Christmas marks the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. It is a celebration of humanity and mankind, propagating love, tolerance and brotherhood. The first mention of the 25th of December as the birth date of Christ occurred in 336 AD. In India, Christmas holds a special significance in everyone"s heart, let alone the Christians. It is in this time of the year when the churches are beautifully lit up, Christmas carols are sung, holy midnight mass on Christmas Eve is observed, Christmas trees are decorated and dishes for feast are prepared. Not only the Christian community, but also people from other religions and communities across the country, too engage themselves in the joyous celebrations.
Good Friday
Good Friday is observed as the anniversary of Jesus Christ"s crucifixion and death on the Cross. It is a Christian religious holiday in India, on a Friday in the period between late March and late April. It is observed as a day of mourning over Christ"s suffering and death on the Cross, during the Holy Week, the purpose of which is to relive and feel the Passion of Christ, which is the short final phase in His life with events leading up to his crucifixion. Convent schools and educational institutions remain closed on this day.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday is marked as the commemoration of Lord Jesus Christ"s resurrection from death, two days after his crucifixion. It is the central festival of Christianity and a religious holiday. It marks the culmination of the Holy Week and the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent, which is a forty-day period of fasting, prayer and penance. It is a joyous and happy day in India, like the rest of the world, celebrating the triumph of life over death.
Goa in India is special where Christianity is concerned. The celebrations of Christian festivals in Goa, an erstwhile Portuguese colony, have an appeal of their own. Apart from the prominent regular festivals, the oldest and most beautiful of Indian churches in Goa, like Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Panaji city, observe auspicious days in the Christian calendar with masses, feasts and processions.
