Sunday Blessings - Carols By Candlelight

With the advent of Christmas

churches in my city hold special

carol services.

Special choirs from different churches

are invited to present Chritmas music .

The program concludes with the congration

processing out of the church with

lighted candles.

Everyone form a large circle in

the church yard

and there is more music, greetings and

hot tea is served with cake and snacks.

On Sunday I attended

the Seminary 's candlelight service.

I brought back some photos.

Joy to the world

A choir singing in Hindi.
The Principal of the Seminary
told us that 36 cultures and
sub-cultures are represented there.


This choir is consists of singers from
the North Eastern state of Nagaland.
The Naga women wear special tribal
head bands made with bird feathers.
a hundred years ago the Nagas were vicious head hunters.
Now they are heart hunters for Christ.



From the southern most state,
a song in the Tamil language.
These young pastors in the making
are singing in Punjabi.

The Sunday school children

are not to be left behind.

Women students expressing

Advent joy in dance.

This little 2 year old is

fascinated with the dance.

She wants a closer look.

Her grandmother (left) is fondly

known as Julie Auntie.

Julie Auntie was a teacher in my

convent school. She is a

cancer survivor.

She belong to a rich

aristocratic family and

was the town' s beauty queen

in her young age

and the only girl to drive

a large American car

( I forgot the mane).

After finishing post graduation and

B.Ed when I started teaching at the Convent,

Julie Auntie became my colleague.

She invited me to join her coffee circle

during lunch time.

There were about 6 or 7 of us

sharing our packed lunches and coffee together.

Aunt Julie appointed me

to make coffee for everyone

as I was the youngest of the group.

I enjoyed my duty.

Our coffee group had lots of fun times together

meeting in different homes and restaurants.

Those were the days (sigh).

This group is singing of

the Christ child in the

Jharkhand rural tradition

with dancing accompanied with

a drum.

The teachers of the College

singing for us.

A Christmas Qawwali.

This music

has its origins in

the Sufi style of singing.

Everybody gathers outside to sing

by candlelight.

The Seminary Chapel illuminated.