AIZAWL, Dec 23: It is that time of year
again, when Aizawl city’s main road literally
turns into a sea of Christmas shoppers.
The city’s spinal road that runs through
the main market was today abuzz with people
as shoppers made their last minute preparation
for the grand Christmas festival.
As December 24 is a Sunday, a worship
day for Christians, today is the last day for
shopping before this year’s Christmas.
The two-and-a-half-kilometre stretch
that runs through the main market – from
Zodin Square to Chanmari junction – was
out of bound for vehicles to provide free
movement for the shoppers.
Aizawl traffic authority has declared the
area no vehicle zone two days before
Christmas and one more day before New
Year, a practice employed since the last
five years.
The fast-growing city is congested with
vehicles and pedestrians throughout the
year, but the Yuletide draws in more people
from the rural areas.
It’s the best time of the year for traders
too, especially of clothes. “Our sales are
minimal throughout the year, but from the
first week of December we see significant
increase. This is the period when we make
real profits,” said a garment shop owner at
Millennium Centre, the city’s biggest shopping
mall.
At night, Aizawl sparkles with Christmas
lights coming up in every strategic point
and tall tower, adding to the already glittering
household electric lights.
Most of the street decorations in Aizawl
are done by youth members of the biggest
Church in each locality, mainly the
Presbyterian Church, the State’s largest
denomination.
Yuletide is also marked with picnics, advance
Christmas parties, concerts and charity
gifts in Mizoram. Most of the Christiandominated
State observe the Christmas
Day in worship and thanksgiving.
The big feast, the integral part of a Christmas
in Mizoram, is thrown on December
26. The New Year day is also marked with
an equally big community feast.-Assam Tribune
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