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Journalism of Courage
A popular European folktale goes like this: On the eve of Christmas in 1870, while the Franco-Prussian war was raging, a French soldier jumped from the trenches and began singing “Cantique de Noel – O Holy Night”, a carol describing the birth of Jesus. Time stood still, and people on both sides of the trenches listened transfixed. Then, a Prussian soldier stood up and began singing the carol too, this time in German. An odd moment of solidarity and peace ensued and a ceasefire was called for 24 hours, for Christmas.
Seated behind his desk at his home in present-day Delhi, Professor Sydney R Rebeiro fondly recalls how his friend, Sister Dr Melba Rodrigues, sang the same carol at Rashtrapati Bhawan’s Darbar Hall many decades ago. “Her voice would ring out so beautifully,” Prof Rebeiro, who served as the Dean of Delhi University between 1985-2021, recalls.
Prof Rebeiro, 81, is a treasure trove of stories related to Christmas in Delhi. Afterall, his family has been a regular at Kashmere Gate’s St James’ Church, the oldest worshipping church of Delhi, for the last 114 years.
“After the service, youngsters from St James’, and St Mary’s churches, along with their friends and neighbours, would rush off to the Canal Rest House on Alipore Road (now called Sham Nath Marg) or further down to the Kamala Nehru Ridge for a picnic and potluck. The afternoon would be concluded at the Christmas jam session at the Gidney Club in Connaught Place. All of this would be spearheaded by the Anglo-Indians, of course,” Prof Rebeiro shares with The Indian Express.
Another tradition that has remained a constant for the Rebeiro family is its Christmas open house, and the family dinner. The open house would invite all — from 11 am to 11 pm —and offer coffee, cake and soft drinks to the kids. The Christmas dinner was a more intimate affair with family members, neighbours, friends and the Rebeiro family’s staff in attendance.
The dinner’s history stretches back to 114 years ago when Rebeiro’s grandfather would host it at their Hamilton Road house. His great grandfather, too, had carried out the tradition in Lahore but their family soon decided to move to Delhi, where the capital would shift eventually.
The point of the Christmas dinner remained the same throughout — to welcome everyone and encourage the message of neighbourliness, he says. The congregation of people would pray before the dinner. “It was a combined secular prayer rooted in Jesus’ birth,” says Prof Rebeiro. “We would pray for peace and harmony in the country and the world, for every family that was with us and for those who were absent and could not make it,” he shares. Then, they would dig into the feast, especially the much-coveted roasted turkey followed up by the Christmas cake, preparations for which would begin weeks in advance, in October.
The history of St James’ Church goes back much further than the Rebeiro family dinner. It was built in 1836 for Colonel James Skinner, once a mercenary of the Maratha army who would later raise two cavalry companies for the British Army. Reverend Prateek Pillai from the church recalls how over the years, Christmas celebrations too have changed, taking on an “Indianised” twist. Christmas family dinners now often feature biryani, kebabs, korma, murukku and gujia, he adds.
The picnic and the Gidney Club are now long gone. Prof Rebeiro’s Christmas dinner also has a smaller guest list, especially after the pandemic. According to Reverend Pillai, the attendance at the midnight service at St James has reduced considerably over the years – a far cry from the time when “there would hardly be any place to stand.”
Says Prof Rebeiro, “A lot of the heart is gone but some of the soul still remains…At least during the prayer hours.”
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