Traders experience brisk sales:

Christmas decor drape the city of Colombo

By Ananda Kannangara

A Christmas tree on display Pix: Chinthaka Kumarasinghe The first Christmas pandal near Lipton Circus in Colombo

Unlike previous years, this year there is a significant increase in Christmas decorations in the city. Most parts of the Colombo city, especially Pettah, Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya, Wellawatta, the Town Hall and Borella have been decorated with colourful flags, Christmas trees, balloons and buckets. Some places are decorated with big dummies of Santa Claus.

The city streets are filled with Christmas shoppers. Some roads in the Pettah have been closed for vehicles in order to prevent inconvenience to shoppers.

The three main vehicle parks, opposite Lake House, York Street and Pettah are crammed with vehicles that enter Colombo from distant areas. Several private companies too used their lands as vehicle parks.

The Railway Department says that generally over 700,000 people travel to Colombo by train everyday, but this number has increased significantly during the Christmas season.

Over 300,000 people visit Colombo every day during the Christmas season to buy garments and other items.

The Sunday Observer last week visited many areas in the city to observe the people getting ready for Christmas. We saw Christmas decorations displayed on either side of the roads. Business premises were also decorated to attract the thousands of people who come to the city during the period.

The Town Hall, Pettah, Borella and Bambalapitiya have been beautifully decorated with colourful bulbs, flags and Christmas trees.

Although there are many decorations in the city, the star pandal 'Tharu Thorana', presented by 'Jeevithalokaya'. Back to the Bible near the Lipton Circus is the most significant Christmas decoration this year. It is unique. We have never seen such a giant and beautiful pandal during the Christmas season.

Everybody knows that pandals are generally erected for the Vesak festival and this is the first time in Lankan history that a Christmas pandal was erected in Colombo.

Upul Katugampola a member of the 'Tharu Thorana' organising committee, said Sri Lanka's first Christmas pandal was erected in Kurunegala in 1991 by Fr. Jayanath Panditharatne. It was made by Rev. Fr. Panditharatne. Several Christmas pandals were erected thereafter in other areas including, Gatambe, Kandy and Kegalle.

Records indicate that small pandals are made today by Christians in areas such as Moratuwa, Wattala, Negombo and Wellawatta.

Christmas items on display

Customers buying garments

The 'Tharu Thorana' depicts important incidents that happened from the Birth and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also indicates how Jesus Christ spent His childhood with parents and how he cured the wounds of patients. The pictures of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus are beautifully displayed in the pandal. It is open for public from December 17 to 26.

Our visits to several leading textile shops at Town Hall, Main Street in Pettah, Kollupitiya and Bambalapitiya gave us an opportunity to meet and talk to the thousands of young and old people who came to do their last minute shopping. Most of them had come from distant areas such as Panadura, Avissawella, Moratuwa, Negombo and Kurunegala.

We had the chance to speak to a few who had come from as far away as Jaffna. A resident of Velvettiturai, Siva Kumar, 34, said he came to Colombo with his cousin sister after three years to visit his relatives in Wellawatta.

He said he would go back to Jaffna before Christmas with some readymade clothes, from Colombo. Siva Kumar appreciated the peaceful atmosphere that prevails in the city and thanked the Government and the security forces for paving the way for them to visit their relatives once again after several years.

A businessman from Trincomalee , F.S. Marlon said he generally bought Christmas items in bulk from Colombo and sold them in Trincomalee.

He said there are lots of Christians in Trincomalee and that all the shops are kept open until midnight during the season. A resident of Padukka, Priyanthi Mudalige, 30, a school teacher said she came to buy clothes to Colombo thinking that readymade clothes were cheap in Colombo than anywhere else.

She said she bought clothes from the Pettah, and the World Market and not from textile shops as garments are more expensive in the shops.

Many Christmas shoppers also complained that some well-known textile shops in the city sell readymade garments at exorbitant prices without considering the financial situation in the country.

A housewife, Damayanthi Wijesinghe of Kottawa said a renowned textile shop in Colombo sells readymade garments at unbelievable prices. She said a shirt which cost about Rs. 800 in an ordinary shop is sold at Rs. 1750 in this shop. She advised Christmas shoppers to be extra vigilant over such shopping arcades and buy clothes from ordinary shops at reduced prices.

We were surprised to see massive Christmas decorations in the First and Second Cross Streets and also at China Street in Colombo. The First and Second Cross Streets were thronged with thousands of Christmas shoppers. They were buying not only textile and garments but also colourful decorations to be hung in their homes on Christmas day. A trader in a shop at Second Cross Street, Nazzar Samsudeen said he has been selling artificial goods including Christmas trees and decorations for the last twenty years. He said he earns over Rs. 70,000 a day by selling Christmas items during the season.

He said he sells all locally manufactured Christmas items including Christmas trees to help the local manufacturers, but many shops in Colombo sell imported Christmas trees and other items .

He requested the Government to ban the import of all Christmas items to protect the local manufacturers.

He asked why the Government allows people to import artificial Christmas trees as natural cypress trees that are brought from Nuwara Eliya could be used as Christmas trees.

A large number of people were seen in front of the Fort Railway Station one evening last week. They were witnessing some Christmas decorations made out of coconut fronds (tender leaves - gokkola). The manufacturer, Gemunu Wijesekara, 60, a retired school teacher is a resident of Meegoda, Homagama.

Gamunu talked to the Sunday Observer and said he made Christmas trees only with coconut fronds and coconut shells. The trunk of the trees were made out of thick cinnamon branches. It was the first time people would have seen Christmas trees made out of coconut fronds. A foreigner who was present took several photographs, and he said he would have bought one, if the leaves of the tree would not get withered.

The owner of a famous toy shop located in front of the Fort Railway Station, Gihan Adamali said this year's sales had been increased by 50 percent when compared with last year's sales.

He said his shop was patronised even by people from the Northern District and thanked the Security Forces for sacrificing their lives to bring everlasting peace to the country.

The owners of two popular cinema halls in Bambalapitiya and Kollupitiya said their managements have decided to screen late night shows during Christmas and New Year seasons as large crowds are expected to visit Colombo during this period. We also had a few words with several shop owners at Galle Face. Most of them run their stalls until midnight as some people use the park even until dawn.