Let this be the moment now

State Christmas Festival to bridge North-South gap:

By our Staff Correspondents

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus the manifestation of God’s unconditional love for man. His birth brings glad tidings of peace, harmony and goodwill among all races. When Christ was born angels sang “Glory to God on the Highest and on earth peace towards men of goodwill”. (Luke 2/14)

The State Christmas Festival- 2008 held in Galle under the theme ‘Let us be the bridge to unite the North and South’ relates to the message of Christmas to bring about peace and unity among people. It is an occasion to emulate Christ the advocate of peace by abhorring hatred, strife and violence.

Rev. Fr. Nihal Nanayakkara, the co-ordinator of the event said the State sponsored Christmas festival held for the fifth time in provinces is an occasion to promote inter-religious and ethnic harmony among people and bring about lasting peace in the country.

The Southern Christmas festival organised by the Department of Christian Affairs and the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Moral Uplift in collaboration with the Catholic church and the Christian churches was held at the Karapitiya Medical Faculty auditorium yesterday.

Galle had been selected for this year’s celebrations to signify the arrival of Portuguese and the origins of Christian faith in the country. The celebrations also mark the 115th anniversary of the diocese of Galle. The Diocese of Galle was formed on August 25, 1893 with Mgr. Joseph Van Reeth S.J. was the first Bishop.

The diocese of Galle was formed as a result of the separation of Galle and Ratnapura provinces from the Archdiocese of Colombo on the request of Mgr. Ladeslausb Zeleski, the Delegate Apostolic from the Propaganda.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Matara, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Galle and the Hiniduma Calvary are popular places for pilgrimages. The art and architecture of these churches gives a gist of the evolution of Catholicism in the diocese of Galle.

Two stamps and several Catholic books of renowned publishers were launched to mark the Galle Christmas celebrations.

The history of the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka is silent in respect of the celebrations of Christmas in the early period after the introduction of Catholic faith to this country by the Portuguese. Historians differ in opinion on this point as some point to the Cross found within the Sacred City of Anuradhapura.

It is said that this find during excavations in Anuradhapura, indicates that there were Nestorian Catholics in the country. It is the official recognition of Catholic faith being planted in this land, connected with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505. The Portuguese did not come to the then Thapabone to convert the inhabitants of the land but the rough sea wind that brought them to the Galle Port as they were trying to chase away Muslim traders who had a big say in trade in countries in the Indian ocean.

Although the Portuguese were here until the arrival of the Dutch, we have yet to find some documentary proof to establish and ascertain when Christmas was actually celebrated for the first time in this country. It does not mean that the small community of Catholics wherever they lived within the country did not celebrate Christmas but still we have to dig further into the history of Christianity in this land of our birth to find out a probable date, when Christmas was celebrated.

History records the arrival of the Blessed Joseph Vaz in the Jaffna peninsula in 1687 amidst persecution of Catholics and the arrival of Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez, a pioneer of Catholic literature in 1705; add a new page to the annals of Catholic history.

Rev. Fr. Vaz who stepped into Mannar from Thooththukudi disguised as a cooley with his faithful servant John went to Jaffna in search of the scattered Catholic community to keep their faith alive.

Catholics around Sillalai in Jaffna built three houses to offer Mass on Christmas night, December 25, 1689, in secret. They were expecting Fr.Vaz to come and celebrate Mass but some had tipped off the authorities and a team of soldiers had arrived to arrest Fr. Vaz. On hearing the news about his celebration of Mass had being conveyed to the soldiers, Fr. Vaz left the house. The history records that the soldiers could not capture him as planned and they destroyed the altar on which Mass was to be celebrated and arrested several Catholics.

The Governor ordered a severe punishment on believers. The worst of which was ordered on one particular Catholic who had been a member of the reformed church but had been reconverted to the Catholic faith. That night we could consider it as the first Christmas Night recorded in the annals of Catholic history in Sri Lanka.

The arrival of Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez was a great relief and on the instruction of Fr.Vaz, having studied the Sinhala from erudite and versatile Bhikkhus, he composed prayers and translated scripture readings and also authored several books. In one of his books “Mangala Geethaya” we come across a hymn - geethika “Devindu Upanneya Sathuni Devindu Upanneya Oho”, which has relevance to Christmas - the Birth of Jesus Christ.

That gives a clue that Catholics during the said period of the two priests and a few clerics had celebrated Christmas in joyful surroundings than other times. The Church history of Sri Lanka also makes reference to the Kammala in the Chilaw district where a number of Catholics were found and the faith was introduced to many through drama or nadagama. In one of those Natya or nadagama had brought out the story of Creation, Fall of the First Parents and in the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Catholic annals record the composition of stage drama or the ballet “Rajathunkattuwa” by script writers and the late Bishop of Chilaw, Rt. Rev. Dr. Edmund Peiris OMI, the first Sinhalese elevated to the rank of a Bishop and scholar did a careful study of the writings of Fr. Gonsalvez and revised them for future preservation. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody OMI following the footsteps of Bishop Peiris contributed immensely to localise Christmas, made it indigenous, with songs and music weeding off the allegation that Catholic faith is of foreign origin and westernized.

The first Christmas in Sri Lanka after Independence was celebrated as a State sponsored event which dispelled the myth that Catholic faith is alien to the country and made Christmas an occasion to unite the North and South. The word Catholic means universal. Catholics worship one God and rejects ethnic discrimination.

The State celebration of Christmas was opportunity to unite the country and bring about peace and harmony among all races. Christmas is an occasion where the entire nation celebrates the birth of Jesus who revolted and stood firm for social justice.

The celebration of Christmas in the world dates back to centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule log, the sharing of gifts, carnivals, carols sung in houses and church processions can be traced back to the early Mesopotamians.

The Romans celebrated their God Saturn and the festival was called Saturnalia which began in the middle of December and ended on January 1. The Romans decked their halls with garlands of green trees lit with candles.

As Christianity spread they were alarmed by the celebration of pagan customs among their converts. The church forbid the pagan celebrations by converting it to the celebration of the birth of the Son of God.

The exact day of the Christ Child’s birth has never been pointed. Traditions say that Christmas has been celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ child be celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD Julius 1, the Bishop of Rome chose December 25th as the observance of Christmas.