15,000 attend India’s largest Christmas gathering

By Matters India Reporter

Mumbai, Dec 20, 2023: More than 15,000 people attended the largest Christian gathering in India held recently on a public beach in Mumbai.

“This was the 58th annual Prabhu Yeshu Janmotsav (birthday celebrations of Lord Jesus) to spread the message of love, peace and goodwill to all mankind, said Abraham Mathai, chairman of the committee that organized the December 10 event at Girgaum Chowpatty.

The theme for this year’s celebrating was “Planting the Deep Roots of Peace in Harmony with Mother Earth.”

Christian leaders across denominations, including Cardinal Oswald Gracias, as well as dignitaries such as Shazia Ilmi, national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and Additional Commissioner of Police Abhinav Deshmukh attended the program.

Choirs from various churches performed at the event, and Pastor Neetu Chaudhury delivered the Christmas message.

“Prabhu Yeshu Janmotsav has endeavoured to provide a platform for the Christian community to come together as the united body of Christ and openly share the Christmas message,” said Mathai, who has conducted the event for the past 22 years.

He said the event was 58 years ago.

The biblical norm of living together in peace and harmony mandates Christians to help others morally and legally. “The Prabhu Yeshu Janmotsav has decided to proclaim the message of compassion, harmony, and reconciliation to usher in peace to all humankind troubled by turmoil and strife,” the chairman added.

He also said the Christians, gathered on the sandy shores of Girgaum Chowpatty, was encouraged to promote peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Such a vision “stands in stark contrast to the heart-breaking realities of war and strife that continue to afflict different regions of our world. In the face of adversity, the call for collective action reverberates, urging humanity to join hands and plant deep roots of a more harmonious and peaceful world,” Mathai added.