December 24 night was quite unusual for the Christian-dominated state of Nagaland. People in every street and neighbourhood in Dimapur were seen outside their homes, dressed in their festive best, making merry and bursting crackers like never before. Despite a standing ban on use of any kind of firecrackers by the administration in every district, the people openly defied the orders and made the night a memorable one.
While midnight mass in many Churches brought people together for worship, the young and the old alike joined the celebration till late in the night.
A young resident of the city, John, who was seen on the streets holding a number of colourful packages containing different types of crackers, said, "It is Christmas and the time for merrymaking. We want to welcome the messiah of peace with a big bang." John, who understands the significance of Christmas, said his parents had gone to church for prayers and he would do so on Sunday morning.
For the young generation, Christmas, besides praying for peace, is a time for merriment. There were hundreds of young boys and girls like John dancing and bursting crackers on the streets, making the most of Christmas Eve despite the chilly winter. Youths in many neighbourhoods gathered outside their homes, sitting around bonfires and singing hymns.
Abraham, a senior citizen of the city, who along with his family was seen outside the Catholic Church, felt the Yuletide festival would certainly restore ring peace in the state. He said the entire congregation in the church prayed for peace and prosperity in Nagaland.
Though Abraham does not belong to any Naga community, he has been in the state for almost 40 years and is a part of the Naga society. He also expressed happiness that the Naga brethren have shown much maturity in the past few years and are working towards restoring peace in Nagaland.
Naga rebel groups also celebrated Christmas in their respective camps and pledged to bring peace in the state. Chairman of NSCN(IM), Isak Chishi Swu, in a message to the people of Nagaland said, "God's plan of salvation embraces the Naga people. We have emerged from darkness to light after we received the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My dear Naga people, we fear not the adversaries but we realize that the seriousness of our own sins has been the greatest hurdle today in an honourable solution to our issue. To be for Christ is the only right direction for us today. To struggle against evil will lead the Naga people to strive for good."
On Sunday morning, the pleasant din of bells ringing in churches pervaded the air, drawing the attention of the local people, who prepared themselves for another Mass. All churches conducted a special mass on Sunday.
The non-Naga communities were also seen celebrating Christmas with the Naga friends as they exchanged greetings and cakes and visited each other's homes. No untoward incidents were reported from any place during Christmas with the armed cadres of Naga underground groups maintained restraint.