CELEBRATING NEW YEAR

According to the Hindu religious calendar the new year falls in mid-January at the harvest festival of Pongol, but Christians, and most other Indians, celebrate on1st January.  In the churches two services happen one after the other.  The first is a Watchnight Service which begins at 11.00 p.m. and lasts for an hour, finishing with a two minute silence.  In this service Christians give thanks for the year which has passed, and make gifts of money to the church.  This service will be led by the senior members of the congregation, but once the new year has arrived (often accompanied by the noisy setting off of firecrackers) another one hour service begins, and the pastor “preaches in the New Year”.  As part of this service a “promise card” with a printed text will be give to every member of the congregation – this is the verse for the year for the church.  The cards are blessed and people process up to the altar to receive their card personally from the pastor.

In the town churches there will be another service at 8.30 a.m, although in the villages the service is more likely to be at 4.00 p.m. and to be followed by a fun evening of games and sports led by the youth of the village.

A New Year Promise Card

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