Have you ever been Carol singing? Have Carol singers ever visited your home?
If you were a resident of Allahabad in the 70’s, a teenager back then, could sing or at least hum along, clap in time, had a certain amount of rhythm, played the guitar, the bongos, or no instrument at all, then I am sure, if you were part of a church group, you probably went Carol singing. Even if you did none of the above – you were welcome to join in!
Carols for those who may not be fully aware , are songs of praise and joy!
For the uninitiated, Carol singing, or ‘carolling’ is the singing of happy Christmas songs, by groups of people going from door to door (at Christmas) with the object of raising money for their church or a charitable cause .
Singing of carols goes way back in time and has always been an enjoyable experience for so many people, all over the world.
A few weeks or so before Christmas, the various parish priests in Allahabad would usually remind their youth groups to get the ball moving. Not that anyone had forgotten! It was foremost in many minds. There were innumerable groups of Carol singers, and I was part of a few, over the years.
The announcement would be followed by evenings and weekends of practice, merrymaking, amusement, and frolicking. We would reach the church premises around six in the evening and the practices would continue in some room or hall till about nine. It was also an excuse for us teens to get out of the house, for girls and boys to meet, to have fun, share stories and jokes, exchange story books, pass ‘love notes’, let your hair down and do a little singing. Remember, before you judge- there were no phones back then into which you could whisper sweet nothings and chat, if you get what I mean. I played the guitar so Christmas and carol singing is something I really looked forward to.
Scooters and motorcycles were a rarity in those days, so we would cycle to and from church, often with a girl or boy friend on the carrier of handlebar! Tell me about it!
Allahabad is bitterly cold and bone chilling in winter, and the temperature usually plumets to five and six degrees by mid-December, but it feels much colder.
We customarily went carol singing for five evenings between the 18th and 24th of December. The evenings were scheduled to end by nine but often dragged on till well past midnight- not that anyone was complaining. For us it was a case of – the later, the more preferred by all.
If you were not dropped home when the night ended, you had to make your way back alone and let me tell you – that was scary, and I did have a few hair - raising and rather petrifying experiences!
Thermal wear, if you had it, cardigans, mufflers, coats, gloves, & balaclavas were a necessity – we had to really cover up to the maximum to beat the cold. Some of the girls wore cute red Santa caps and on a few occasions, we had a boy dress as Santa Claus with his customary bell which he would ring with gay abandon !
I remember us being given a small school bus to use, and about thirty of us would pile in- the more the merrier. There were so seat belts, and the seats were rather hard and uncomfortable in case you would like to know. It was just the driver and then us at the back- singing, hollering, screaming, banging the side of the bus and in general making quite a nuisance of ourselves & almost causing a bit of a riot! The poor driver tried to get us to behave- in vain. His complaints fell on deaf ears.
We would then visit colonies, stand-alone houses, bungalows, and the like. Some people knew we would be coming and prepared in advance , while for others we landed up unannounced.
At every stop we would jump out, as silently as possible – the intention being to surprise the people in their residences.
Often, we were welcomed inside enthusiastically by Christians and non-Christian alike. By mid-December, all homes were done up with beautiful Christmas trees, coloured lights, wreaths, bunches of holly, and all the different Christmas ornaments and knick- knacks, and the atmosphere was festive and high- spirited. The little crib was always the center of attraction. Some families were so very creative and original, and their cribs were breathtakingly beautiful. The house often smelt of paint!
Once inside, we rendered about six carols, were offered snacks like cake, kul- kuls, various types of fudge, sandwiches, sweets, rose cookies, juice and of course given some money which we collected in a sealed, tin box. When we were offered ginger wine, steaming hot tea, or coffee – wow – that was amazing. Most of the items were made at home and the generosity of the families we visited was heartwarming.
We spent more time at some homes than the others and often there was a little dancing as well to add to the enjoyment.
Surprisingly, we were all, always hungry and I sense the cold and the singing had something to do with it, hence any quantity of snacks we were offered, were always polished off. Many generous people would tell us to ‘Take what was left over’ and eat it in the bus. Kind souls indeed.
There were some families who would not open the door to let us in – usually older people whose house we would reach too late – they had probably already gone to bed. However, their dogs would be barking loud enough to wake the dead, so it left me wondering. At times we would see lights being furtively switched off.
On a few rare occasions, we were shouted at to ‘go away and not disturb’. On such occasions we would retort by screaming, making barking and mewing sounds, howling, and piling up flowerpots near their front door! We felt they deserved it for their rudeness! I now feel bad we were so naughty!
All in all, we had a marvelous time, did our bit for the church, and really felt Christmassy!
I must not forget to add that many a love affair blossomed during this time, and quite a few ‘carol singers’ ended up marrying each other! There were match makers among us too for your information!
Those were light- hearted, vibrant, playful times filled with mirth, mischief and merriment and they will always be a part of my life.
