Thrissur: The fourth edition of the ‘Buon Natale’ procession conducted by the Thrissur Archdiocese and Thrissur Powravali as a part of Christmas celebrations mesmerized tens of hundreds of spectators who had turned up at Swaraj Round on Tuesday evening. The major attraction of the event this year was the flash mob by 5,000 children who had dressed up as Santa Claus and danced in different groups during the procession. A mini pooram was conducted by the Thrissur Pooram Committee in front of the Paramekkavu Temple by parading three fully decorated elephants with umbrellas.
There were 20 floats in the procession that reflected incidents in the Bible and cultural traditions of Kerala. Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurated the grand Christmas procession at St Thomas College on Tuesday evening. He said in his inaugural speech that ‘harmony, unity and tolerance’ were in the DNA of India and it was the ‘USP’ of the country’s ancient and rich cultural heritage.
“India’s centuries-old history is proof that the people of our country had always defeated those forces who wanted to disturb our rich culture,” he said. Buon Natale is held in connection with Christmas and New Year since 2013 and the event has already entered the Guinness World Records as the largest gathering of people dressed up as Santa Claus.
High Court order flouted for buon Natale
The interim order of the Kerala High court on December 21 directing the District Collector, City Police Commissioner and organizers to conduct the mega Christmas procession Buon Natale without affecting the normal life of the people was violated when the event was conducted on Tuesday afternoon. Thrissur Archbishop Andrews Thazhath and City Police Commissioner J Himendranath had assured that the mega event, which was conducted in the last three years by completely blocking traffic through Swaraj Round in the heart of the Town, would be conducted abiding by the HC order this time around.
The Thrissur Traffic SI had on Monday night issued a press release over traffic restrictions, but withdrew it immediately. But, by Monday afternoon before the event began at 5 p.m. the police themselves stopped private and KSRTC buses from entering the Swaraj Round and only light vehicles were allowed to enter the round. The commuters were caught unawares as the police had assured smooth flow of traffic and had a tough time as public transportation was diverted from the usual paths.
In Swaraj Round, no one listened to organizers repeatedly asking the crowd to move out of the road which was barricaded for the procession on one track. Anto Kokkat, the functionary of the Joint Catholic Council, which was instrumental in obtaining the HC order told DC that the petitioner C J Ittiyachan of Aranattukara who filed the writ petition in HC would soon move the court citing contempt of court. Commissioner J Himendranath told DC that after collecting details, action would be taken against organizers if there was a violation of the court order.
