Every year towards the end of November, Tura, otherwise a sleepy little town in Meghalaya comes alive as its residents gear up for the Christmas season. Tura, is located 220km from Guwahati in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, below the foothills of Tura Peak.
The annual Christmas tradition is followed to a tee here with streets decked up with lights, holly on the door, carols on the street, families and friends getting together… In fact, many have compared the town to Los Angeles during Christmas with its splurge on outdoor decorations be it huge inflatable Santas or LED lit reindeers.
From late November, the trees around the town are beautifully lit. In fact in December 2003, the tallest Christmas tree in the world (119.3 feet) was erected at Dobasipura, Tura. The tree, which was decorated with 16,319 coloured light bulbs, took almost 14 days to complete. The event was covered by BBC and widely broadcast on television.
Christmas this year will be a more muted affair, however, due to Covid-19 related restrictions. Although the streets are decked, the shops abuzz with shoppers and the sound of drumbeats and lyrics of Christmas songs in Garo reverberate in the air, Christmas parties that are usually held at various grounds will be missed this year.
Due to pandemic restrictions, people out in the villages across Garo Hills have been putting up conventional ‘Basa’ or pandals in open fields to host Song Kristan, a group celebration unique to the Garo tribe as worship and praise. In the past, Tura saw roads packed with vehicles and thousands of revellers shifting from one dance point to other till the wee morning hours on December 25. However, tonight, the dancing shoes will remain hung up, thanks to pandemic. In the coming year, let’s hope that vaccine and nothing of this kind returns to test the resilience of mankind.A festive meal is a must during the season with traditional Garo delicacies such Wak Pura (pork cooked with crushed rice), Kapa (meat fried with soda and boiled with fresh garden spices), Gominda Wak (pork cooked with pumpkin) and Nakam Bitchi (dry fish made with chillies and soda) on the menu.
