ADIVASI CHRISTMAS

A Real Threat for Adivasi Social Survival...?

For many in India, the Celebration of Christmas in Adivasi style appears to be a clear matter of religious contradiction for no other reason but the fundamentality context. This is more these days where the religious, cultural, social, folkloric rights or the tribals in Orissa and other places are almost suspended or not respected at all, where not only freedom for religion but the right to exist itself is under question in a religious or spiritual country like India. Then it is easy to understand that how Christmas of 2009 especially can be celebrated in Adivasi style.

The indigenous peoples of India namely the Adivasis, including of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Communities (OBC) are originally not Hindus even though they are Hinduised or converted to Hinduism in the course of History as Dr. S. M. Michael a Professor of Sociology in Bombay University says that the maximum conversion to other religions of the tribals is done by Hindus to Hinduism and not by Christians to Christianity. Here comes the freedom of fundamental rights of the tribals are at stake.

But this being the Christmas season, even though the celebration of the feast of Christmas is threatened directly or indirectly by the people of the vested interests, the Adivasis are celebrating the Christmas in their own indigenous or folkloric manner. On this occasion, the tribals sing the Christmas carols on the eve of Christmas in the adivasi style, in their own folk or tribal languages, folk music, accompanied by their own folk instruments. Before and after the mid night service such as Holy Mass, they drink home brewed alcohol, sing folksongs , perform folk dances throughout the night and make merry in the indigenous manner to honor the Baby Jesus. For the celebration of Christmas one can say there are thousands of tribal folksongs throughout Adivasi India, de-icing the Christmas themes, such as fall of man through the committing of original sin, the promise of Messiah in the form of Jesus Christ, coming the messengers to the Jews in Israel such as prophets, judges, kings and other holy men preparing the way for the coming of Jesus, final signs of Christ coming in Jewish society in Israel, and then finally the birth of Jesus Christ himself.

Tribals being originally monotheistic even their theology is totally different, find closer affinity with Christianity because the redeeming values for the suppressed and oppressed peoples like them are much more in Christianity than in any other religion. But the freedom to religion for the SC, ST and OBC is very much restricted either by law or social pressures. In such contradictory situation, can we easily say that there is freedom for religious rights, cultural rights, social rights, right to freedom to choose the religions of their own likeness without the present day social pressures for Adivasis in India today....?

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