Christmas was celebrated on
December 24th, 2001 at Sufidar. A beautiful altar decorated in the Christmas spirit was
setup for the occasion. Puj Dada Ratanchandji began the festivities by lighting a candle
at the altar of Jesus Christ. Devotees attended the celebrations in huge numbers and
Christmas carols were sung by the devotees. Santa Claus distributed gifts(goodies and
candles) to devotees.
(Puj Dada Ratanchandji praying at the manger of Jesus Christ)
(The Lords Prayer)
The story of Christmas and the Christ Child:
When Rome was a great Empire ruled by
Caesar Augustus and Israel was governed by King Herod, in the village of Nazareth lived
Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a carpenter and Mary was a young virgin who would become
his wife. Mary told Joseph of a dream in which she was visited by an angel who told her
she had been chosen to bear the Son of God and his name was to be Jesus.
One day the emperor sent notice that all
persons were to register for a new tax. They were instructed to return to the towns of
their birth. Joseph and Mary left Nazareth for Bethlehem. Mary who was with child, and
close to the birth, rode on a donkey while Joseph walked beside her. They travelled for
many days and only rested at night.
When they reached Bethlehem it was night.
They looked for a place to rest but there were no empty rooms when they reached the inn.
As they were being turned away Joseph mentioned that his wife was with child and close to
birth. The inn keeper took pity on them and told them of some caves in the nearby hills
that shepherds would stay with their cows and sheep.
So Joseph and Mary went up into the hills
and found the caves. In one cave was a stable room. Joseph cleaned it and made beds of
fresh hay. He found a feeding trough which he cleaned and filled with hay to use as a
crib. The next night Mary gave birth to a son and they named him Jesus, as the angel had
said.
When the child was born a great star
appeared over Bethlehem that could be seen for miles around. In the fields nearby
shepherds were tending their flocks. An angel appeared to them surrounded by bright light.
The shepherds were frightened and tried to run.
"Fear Not", said an angel,
"For I bring you tidings of great joy. For unto you is born this day in Bethlehem - a
Saviour who is Christ the Lord".
"And this shall be a sign unto you. You
shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
Suddenly the sky was filled with angels,
praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill
towards men".
After the angels departed the shepherds set
out for Bethlehem. When they reached the cave they found the stable and inside was the
child wrapped in swaddling clothes.
As the star shined over Bethlehem, in the
east three kings would see it. They knew it was a sign and they set off to follow the
star. There was Caspar - the young King of Tarsus, Melchior - a long bearded old man and
leader of Arabia, and Balthazar - the king from Ethiopia. They travelled on camels for
many days over the mountains and through the deserts and plains. Always following the
bright star.
When they finally arrived in Bethlehem they
found the child in the manger. The three kings bowed their knees and offered gifts of
gold, frankincense and myrrh. They would stay the night in the cave and the next day
returned to their lands to spread the news.
This is the story of the
first ever Christmas.
(Santa Claus near the Christmas tree)
The Christmas Present
I heard a knock on my door one Christmas Eve,
As I looked out my window a man I could see,
He was cold and seemed so lonely and upon a bended knee
He asked can you spare anything for me to eat...
I opened up the door and as I helped him in,
He looked up to me with such a peaceful grin,
As he drank some coffee and had a bite to eat,
I put some more wood on the fire so he could warm his feeet...
Over there by the fireplace he warmed his tired hands,
I wonder where he came from, this quite white haired man,
But I wasn't at all afraid of his peaceful ways you see,
This man dressed in poor, almost as poor as me...
As he left he turned and thanked me for all that I done,
But he forgot to take his gloves, so out the door I run,
He was gone in the blizzard and I couldn't hardly see,
So I tool his ole gloves back to the house with me...
Just a little after midnight I awoke in the dark,
There wasn't a bit of fire just glowing cinders in the dark,
And where I'd placed his gloves by my little Christmas tree,
There laid a brand new pair, and a Christmas Card for me...
And it read...
You gave me shelter and food to keep me warm,
You even tried to bring my gloves in the storm,
So here's for you a new pair,...the finest ever seen.
As an Angel of the Lord
I'll be sure to tell the Lord.........Merry Christmas.
This is the story of the kind old Santa Claus.
New Year Celebrations at Sufi Dar were held on 31st December 2006 (Click here to read more about the New Year celebrations)
