Christmas 50 Years Ago : Simple yet Magical 

If today, Christmas has taken more of a commercial side, there was a time when Christmas was celebrated in the simplest form and with much love. There were no sophisticated toys like we have today but the simple ones brought much happiness to people’s lives. During this season of festivity, New on Sunday makes you discover how Christmas was celebrated fifty to sixty years back. 

Radhakrishna Sadien : “We used to wait impatiently for Christmas”

Trade Unionist Radhakrishna Sadien reveals that there is a huge difference in the celebration of Christmas today. “When we were kids, we used to wait impatiently for Christmas because it was the only time when we were given gifts. Unlike today, children get gifts on every single occasion. The gift we used to get was a simple one that lasted for a long time. We used to be delighted upon receiving that small toy.” Besides, he confides that he comes from a huge family where there were numerous children but only one source of income.

“At that time, there was no bonus, so my father would buy a small toy for each of us. It would not matter who got a better toy or not. What mattered was on the day of Christmas, everyone would get something. The gift that we would usually get was either a car or a pistol.” He states that on Christmas Eve, all the children would go to sleep early and the parents would put the gifts under a small tree. “As kids, we would sleep early and then early morning, we would be surprised to see our gifts which we thought Santa Claus had left for us. We would rejoice while opening those gifts.”

Vijaya Teelock : “Christmas was family time”

Associate Professor at the University of Mauritius, Vijaya Teelock states that her Christmas was mostly family time. As her mother was very creative, she would help her in setting up Christmas decorations. “I still remember setting up a true Christmas tree with hand-made decorations.

We would help my mother in creating all types of paper embellishments and special homemade food.” As gifts, she mostly got dolls and books. Another interesting fact is that Vijaya Teelock used to travel during Christmas with her family, which became part of her discovery journey. “I celebrated Christmas differently each time we travelled. For instance, in Africa, Christmas is different and in England, it is all about a white Christmas.”

Firoz Ghanty : “It was a moment of discovery”

The Christmas of Firoz Ghanty, famous Mauritian painter, was very much different in essence. Firstly, he discloses that Christmas was the most rejoicing moment of the year for him and his family.

“As it were the holidays, his parents would seize this opportunity to arrange some outing for them. They would discover at least one part of Mauritius; it can be a place or a museum or a monument. Along with the celebrations, it was also a moment for acquiring knowledge.” Concerning the toys, what he would receive was mainly a lorry, a cowboy hat or a pistol. “During my time, the toys were mainly mechanical, unlike today where gifts are more sophisticated. We would receive gifts until the age of 17. On Christmas Eve, we would dine together in a restaurant, a culture that has remained with us.”

Vidya Charan : “Christmas was like a dream”

Vidya Charan, of the Mauritius Family Planning and Welfare Association, indicates that as a child, she was celebrating Christmas in the simplest way but with lots of joy. She explains that the gift she was receiving was symbolical. “Our parents would gift us whatever we desired for our good behaviour over the year. For our parents, it was our due and we deserved it. For a whole year, we would wait for this particular moment to get our gifts. I still remember how our parents would cajole us to sleep so that Santa Claus would come and leave our gifts either under our bed or under a small Christmas tree.”

As gifts, Vidya Charan received musical instruments and dolls. But the gift that touched her heart the most was a small piano for Christmas. It was a luxury for her. “It was extraordinary. It was not as commercial as it is now. Christmas was like a dream for us. I used to believe in Santa Claus until the day I got a piano, because it was something that I had the utmost desire to receive. That day, it dawned upon me that our parents are actually Santa Claus and would make sacrifices for us to be happy.”

Dr Michael Atchia : “It has been more of a religious festival”

As Dr Michael Atchia sees it, Christmas has always been more of a religious festival. “From childhood, I have been celebrating Christmas like a religious festival. It symbolises the birth of Jesus and for me, it is a festival of light as well as life. We celebrate it with family with much peace and simplicity. I used to go to church and then back home to celebrate with family.” He reveals that there was no Christmas tree or gifts but there were more prayers and lots of hope for the future.

Santa Claus:  To Believe or Not to Believe

The existence of Santa Claus really did not matter for many. While some believed the story behind Santa Claus, others knew that the Big man with a white beard was a myth. Radhakrishna Sadien admits that he used to believe in the existence of Santa Claus. “I used to wait when Santa Claus would bring me my gifts. I used to believe in the stories of this beardy man.” The same applies to Vidya Charan, who confesses that as an innocent kid, she believed that Santa Claus would come by the chimney while the kids would go to sleep and leave a gift. But as she grew up, she began to realise that she has been fed with folktales. 

However, the story of Santa Claus did not turn out to be a good one for Firoz Ghanty. “I used to believe in Santa Claus but at the age of 10, I found out that there was a hidden truth behind this entire story. I had taken it wrongly. This created a conflict between me and my parents. I thought I was wronged and was resentful that my parents had dared lie to me.” 

As for Vijaya Teelock, she did not quite believe in the story of Santa Claus as in Mauritius there was no snow and houses had no chimneys. So, this did not appeal to her. The same for Dr Atchia, who, at an early age, understood that the story is just a tradition.