Christmas tree, a sign of hope, renewal

Hyderabad: The Christmas tree is what makes the season both colourful and enchanting in homes and in churches. Children are the more excited lot when it comes to arranging the Christmas tree in their homes.  

Notably, the Christmas tree is made of  branches cut from a fir tree or the pine. These trees are chosen because their leaves do not wither and they retain the green colour. Jesus Christ is all about eternity to the faithful.

The tree is decorated with ‘Star of Bethlehem’ and angels along with decorations of red, green and white.

The decoration stores here are brisk with sales this year compared to the previous Christmas. Church streets across the city shine with the bright decoration lights on the tree, during the winter season, giving a warm feeling of Christmas to one and all.

Cyberabad police commissioner, Stephen Raveendra explained what the Christmas tree symbolises. “Hope and renewal, this tree is used as a sign of everlasting life. Red in the decorations represents Christ’s blood, green is everlasting and white is the purity of Jesus. The decorative symbols on the Christmas tree are import elements of what had happened during the birth of Jesus Christ.”

The official, who has many of his memories associated with the Christmas and the Christmas tree, added, “The tree is decorated at the advent of the season and the whole family get together to decorate the tree. At the bottom of the Christmas tree, gifts are packed and kept. My daughter, for one, gets her surprise gift each Christmas, packed and kept at the tree.”
 
He added, “Children are more excited when it comes to Christmas tree and to the gifts near it. For the festival, my friends and their families are invited, their kids get surprise gifts at the Christmas tree.”
 
“Most of our memories are connected with the fir or the pine tree, which are natural. But the new generation has seen only the artificial Christmas tree,” said Lavina D’Souza, a member of Shrine of Our Lady of Health, Church, Khairatabad.

“As kids, along with our siblings, we used to get the tree branch chopped, they were decorated well and all the elements and the props were handmade by us. Now we have an artificial one. But whenever we pass by those real trees in front of some individual house, it gives us a good feeling of Christmas,” she added.

Begum Bazaar market is the biggest wholesale market in the state for the Christmas trees and decoration, said Ashok Kumar Katri of Bhagwan Card Centre. “The sales of the Christmas trees and decorations are better this time compared to the previous year.”

“The price starts from `200 to `10,000, and for special purposes they may cross any digit. The latest attraction is the electric Christmas tree, which has optical fiber leaves, and which changes lighting colours by itself. It costs around `9,500.”