By Jennifer Warren
On a recent evening as shoppers bustled along Austin Street collecting gifts, a small perfume shop decked out in holiday fashion lay in wait for the season's shoppers. Metallic balls were suspended like celestial orbs from its ceiling, golden sprigs sprang from its walls, and sparkling rope tinsel was draped in lazy loops.
The store was awash in Christmas decor, but its Indian owners were somewhat puzzled by the meaning of the holiday.
“I know it has something to do with Jesus Christ and the birth, whatever that is,” said a woman who identified herself only as Mrs. Singh, while holding her rambunctious 10-month-old son Navpreet as she stood behind the counter. “We know about the festivals of our culture, but we're keen to know about other cultures.”
Mrs. Singh, a young Hindu woman with large dark eyes and a sweet, enthusiastic spirit, plans to take her son, husband, and extended family deep into Rockefeller Center this weekend to see the tree.
“We do it all for the kids. We feel happy to be part of it,” she explained, motioning outside to a festive Austin Street with the holiday voices of Judy Garland and Bing Crosby serenading from speakers overhead.
Four years ago, when the Singhs still lived in New Delhi, they were hardly aware of the Christian holiday. “We had a lot of Christian people, but we didn't notice it much,” Mr. Singh said.
And when they lived in New Delhi, the major holiday of the year was Diwali, the festival of lights that foreigners inevitably celebrated as well.
“It's the best festival of the year. You have lights and crackers,” he said, describing the firecrackers that spit fire and light, sometimes in a string of domino-like explosions.
“Here, crackers are not allowed,” he said citing fire regulations that prevent their use. “We miss our festival here.”
Diwali retells the story of Lord Rama, the king of a powerful state who, legend says, was exiled to the forest for 14 years by his mother. When he finally returned he learned his wife had been kidnapped by the evil King Ravana. Rama managed to free his wife and his kingdom celebrated his return to power.
As a child, Mr. Singh remembered his parents preparing for the holiday weeks in advance by white-washing the inside and outside of their home.
“They think if you clean your house, money will be blessed on you.” But for Mr. Singh, as a 10-year-old boy it was the firecrackers that he remembered most.
He looked at his tot, Navpreet, and mused about his son's cultural education.
“First, our teachings,” he said. “These,” motioning to the brightly-colored Christmas decorations around the store, “he'll learn automatically.”
