Ho..Ho..Ho..It’s Christmas Time! Santa Claus and Christa Namana Trucks are coming To Town
- Ho..Ho..Ho..It’s Christmas Time! Santa Claus and Christa Namana Trucks are coming To Town, as part of “Christa Namana 2018” mobile Christmas Show organized by St Anthony’s Ashram, Jeppu, Mangaluru. “You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I’m telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town (at Panambur Beach and Kadri Park ); He’s making a list, And checking it twice; He’s gonna find out, Who’s naughty or nice, Santa Claus is coming to town; He sees you when you’re sleeping, He knows when you’re awake, He knows if you’ve been bad or good, So be good for goodness sake! So, You better watch out!, You better not cry, You better not pout, I’m telling you why Santa Claus is coming to town”- these are the lyrics from the famous all-time favourite Christmas song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.
- Today, Sunday the 2nd of December the Show will at Panambur Beach at 4.30 pm and near Kadri Park at 6 p.m. Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza Bishop Emeritus of Mangaluru will deliver Christmas messages during the Kadri Park show. All are welcome to come and enjoy the evening and obtain the blessings of God.
Mangaluru: Ho..Ho..Ho..It’s Christmas Time! Santa Claus and Christa Namana Trucks have Come To Town, and It’s beginning to Look Like Christmas already. The FIRST Mobile CHRISTMAS ACT of 2018 Christmas was already launched by St Anthony’s Ashram-Jeppu, Mangaluru. As the Month of December begins the whole world is gearing up to celebrate Christmas, the Birthday of Jesus the Prince of Peace. In preparation for the feast, the Church begins the season of Advent on the first Sunday of December.
On this occasion, Saint Anthony’s Ashram Jeppu held ‘Christa Namana 2018’ , a programme which depicts the scenes around the birth of Jesus through Kannada Tableau and singing of Carols in Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, and English. The programme will be held in four places of Mangalore city limit. On Saturday the 1st of December the programme was held at Deralakatte junction at 6:00 pm and at Thokkottu Bus Stand at 7:30 pm. On Sunday the 2nd of December the Show will at Panambur Beach at 4:30 pm and near Kadri Park at 6:00 p.m. Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza Bishop Emeritus of Mangaluru will deliver a Christmas message during the Kadri Park show. All are welcome to come and enjoy the evening and obtain the blessings of God.
In keeping with their customary spirit of Christmas joy, St Anthony’s Ashram did put up a spectacular show, spreading the message of love and peace as shown by Jesus himself two thousand years ago under the title “Christa Namana 2018”, a show FIRST of its kind launched by the Ashram- and the first two shows on 1 December at Deralakatte and Thokkuttu were a hit, with a large number of people gathered to watch the show. The play depicted the story of the Birth of Jesus Christ unfolded through songs and dances. Around 60 artistes including the band members of “The Signature” band performed at the show and entertained the people through their moving performance.
These street plays as Christmas season approaches was a befitting tribute to Baby Jesus. “Christa Namana” in song and act brought together over 60 artists from various backgrounds to pool in their talents and the actors, mostly youngsters which kept the audience spellbound with their sheer acting skills. They accorded an aura of realism to the play and transported the audience back into the past. The mobile act was performed on two trailer trucks, on one truck the band played, and on the other, the artists performed the act, and also sang Christmas carols. The troupe consisted of actors, singers, musicians, dancers, technical and stage managers. The show lasted for one-hour duration, and the show was extra spectacular.
The performers of “Christa Namana” was a blend of people from all walks of life coming together to promote peace and harmony and brotherhood by showcasing their varied talents. The musical show was also interspersed with a number of dances that lent variety to the evening’s events. The carol singers in red and white, with their sweet melodious voices, were a treat to the eyes and ears. An air of expectancy hung in the air and was dispelled only when “Santa Claus” Vincent Menezes from Kokkada made a grand entry, much to the delight of the children present there. “Santa Claus” Vincent doesn’t go empty-handed, instead carries a bagful of goodies and candies and distributes among the crowd, and also entertains them by singing Christmas carols. Vincent has been entertaining people attired in Santa Claus for many decades and still continues to do so.
At the Deralakatte Junction show, Fr Denis Suares, the Parish priest of Paneer Church, and Fr Vincent S Lobo-assistant administrator at Father Muller Homeopathy College, Deralakatte, and also including nuns from nearby convents, and a bevy of students from nearby institutions. This show did enthrall everyone and got a loud applaud from the crowd. The show at Thokkuttu Bus Stand also attracted a large, who also cheered the performers. Coupons were distributed free among the crowd, and two prizes were given in the form of cakes to first two winners in the lucky coupon draw. Kudos to Vincent Fernandes of “Mogachi Lhara” fame for his choreography and music direction, and to Fr Onil D’souza-the Director of the Ashram for his initiative in launching “Christa Namana’ for the FIRST time. The SHOW WAS A HIT-No doubt about it, at all!
And on a joyous note, I end this column with a dance Christmas number on YouTube by Vincent Fernandes, which goes like this “Naas Christmas Naas”…..
