Each home has it’s ritual for Christmas day. Here the stockings are hung along with final decorations at the last minute on the 24th, on Christmas morning the girls get fresh flowers for their hair… In the morning there is also one gift each for the kids. It’s really very nice to be here at this time…no TV, NO advertising…NO pre and post Christmas sales…
Posted in india, photographic
Tagged Andhra Pradesh, christmas, flowers in hair, orphanage
Christmas images from the nearest city of Vijayawada (3rd largest city in Andhra Pradesh, pop around 1.7 million): santa, Christmas trees, Jesus and Besant Road…
Posted in india, photographic
Tagged Besant road, christmas, christmas tree, jesus, santa, street scenes, Vijayawada
ahh technical problems…first my beloved G1 camera breaks down and then my mac (my life!) however i digress….and life goes on. Surreal is the only way i can describe today, santa arrives from italy (2 days early!), a game man willing to wear the suit and beard for at least 4 hours in 30 very humid degrees. He parades around the orphanage with a sleigh/cart pulled by decorated oxen.
Then he gets his photo taken with all 1000 of the orphanage kids…like i said he is game. He is assisted by elves and the wonderful tumbling boys from this previous post.
I did not ask them to do this, honest!
The kids almost explode with excitement…Popular Christmas songs about snow and reindeer boom from the tannoy system all day…
Then even more surreal…we all follow Santa around the neighbouring village, with our own sound system and Christmas songs ofcourse!
…impossible to take good photos…my camera is very confused with the humidity and the darkness, and i keep nearly getting run over by ox and cart…
and if that were not enough, later we go back around the villages complete with Mary and Joseph (from the nativity play) and sing western and telugu chrismas songs…
happy surreal christmas!!!
Posted in documentary, map, photographic
ok, it was also christmas at the Daddy’s Home orphanage in buddawaram, and yes that is father christmas riding on an cart pulled by oxen. I guess despite all the political unrest (see previous post) in the area, they managed to pull off christmas…
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feeding the 1500…
Christmas day preparations – This is what it takes to feed 1500 round these parts…
1000 orphanage kids, 200 older kids now in college and 300 sundry guests and extras…
Meanwhile in my home, Lusiana Home, the girls go a little christmas crazy…
… and at night the nativity play complete with angels, kings, goats and cows…
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Posted in commentary, india, photographic
Tagged christmas, india, nativity play, orphanage, stockings