25.12.2023

Christmas in the Roerich Estate

Christmas in India is celebrated very brightly and colorfully. People exchange greetings and good wishes, visit their relatives and friends, give each other gifts.  Christ, the Teacher of Love, has come into the world, and hearts unite in hope for a better, brighter future.

The embodiment of this unity of hearts at the International Roerich Memorial Trust on December 25, 2023, was the Christmas round dance, where children and adults held hands. Several hundred children from Naggar, Rumsu, Sheron, Pulag, Chinalti and other villages and hamlets of the Kullu Valley, according to tradition, became participants of the long-awaited and bright holiday at the Roerich Estate.

The children's faces were glowing with trembling expectation of a miracle. They were delighted by the appearance of the main character of the festivities – Santa Claus, who rushed to the little guests with greetings and gifts.

The festive part of the festival in the IRMT Green Theater began with a song-prayer addressed to the Goddess Saraswati, the patroness of knowledge, art and beauty. It was performed by the students of the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts for Children and their teachers Anshul Kumar and Anup Kumar.  Larisa Surgina, Russian curator of the IRMT, and Amarjit Anand, representative of the Indian administration, addressed a cordial welcome speech to all those present.

One after another the young participants of the holiday performed on the open stage of the Green Theater, having prepared in advance rousing numbers: dances in bright national outfits to Indian music, songs, poems – the audience supported them with applause, singing along and moving to the beat! Shy kids were helped in their performances by kind Santa Claus. And of course, all the participants of the holiday received Christmas gifts from the magical guest and were photographed with him by the Christmas tree.

The meeting of Christmas surrounded by the Himalayan peaks was filled with a special sublime beauty – that Beauty which is sent to Earth from the Higher Worlds. "Be as little children," was said by Christ two thousand years ago. The pure joy, trust and inspiration that overflows in the hearts of children at Christmas reminds us of this covenant, makes it more real and closer to us.