Illuminated churches, carols and traditional homemade wine mark the Yuletide
Ooty: The year-end with Xmas on the way in the backdrop of the severe, yet enjoyable winter weather in the hills here, never failed to pep up the celebration mood as the winter weather in the Nilgiris is like winter in the western world, though it does not snow here, is alternated by frost, making the Yuletide celebration special in the hills.
For the many tourists who turn up for the winter break, the Xmas festive fervour in the Nilgiris perks up the celebration mood.
Illuminated churches across the Nilgiris, sparkling stars on rooftops, carol services that extend to the midnight hours, candle light services in churches, various educational institutions organising Xmas programmes are already under way here.
With sizeable Christian population in the hills and also a good number of Christian educational institutions across the Nilgiris wherein the British era Xmas celebration legacy is continuing till date, with special Santa Claus programmes, there is no need to mention that the Xmas atmosphere is surcharging the winter weather.
While this festive fervour gives an account of the Xmas mood sweeping the Nilgiris, the other side of the Xmas shows how the busy culinary, baking and homemade wine-making aspects add flavour, spice and taste to the Xmas celebrations.
While the imported non-alcoholic wine bottles along with local homemade wine bottles dot the shelves of many shops in the Nilgiris, homemade wine-making continues as a Xmas legacy here in the hills.
Sydney Cutinha, an Anglo-Indian resident here, who gave an account on the significance of homemade wine during Xmas, said non-alcoholic homemade wine-making is a legacy that has been continuing for centuries during Xmas as homemade wine made for Xmas is considered a sacred beverage to consume during Xmas celebrations.
“Homemade wine culture is a very ancient tradition, especially associated with Xmas. Some elderly Christians are skilful in making homemade wine, which makes for a special holy beverage during Xmas”, Sydney Cutinha added.
On the recipe and preparation for the homemade wine, he said it is a very simple process that needs patience and skills. A kilogram of black grapes or juice grapes, 2 kg of sugar and 2 litres of water are the essential ingredients for making homemade wine.
“The grapes should be crushed in such a way to make it a semi-solid pulp. Soak it in water along with sugar. To this mixture, yeast should be added in the required quantity. Around 200 grams of country wheat should be added. This mixture should be allowed to mature either inside a stainless steel vessel or an earthen pot. The vessel/pot should be closed to make it airtight. This mixture should be kept for at least 21 days to ferment and mature. The more fermentation days, the better the quality and taste of the wine. After a minimum of three weeks, this mixture should be double-filtered to collect the pure homemade wine. The speciality of the homemade wine is that it is rich in antioxidants and vitamins, which is healthy and energising in nature. Homemade wine is free of alcohol, and it is considered a holy beverage as everyone knows the sacredness of homemade wine in Christian culture,” Cutinha explained.
