The vibrant Kerala community in Christchurch celebrated Christmas and New Year with colourful stage performances and delicious dinners.
Members of the Christchurch Kerala Association and the Kerala Cultural Forum marked the annual event with hope, confidence, prayers and goodwill with entertainment programmes on two separate occasions in two different venues.
New Year festivities included barbecue lunches and family outings.
It was a great time for the people from Kerala living in and around Christchurch to share the love and joy of birth of Jesus and arrival of the New Year, hoping for a healthier and happier 2013.
Trying times
The two occasions came after trying times perpetrated by earthquakes, aftershocks, efforts to rehabilitate into their own homes, hopes of proper settlement of insurance and other matters and the overall optimism for a better future.
There was a general feeling of human kindness, understanding and friendship and such gatherings enable people to forget, at least for a while, the sufferings brought by natural disasters two years ago.
While emotional recovery has almost been achieved, the emphasis is now on recovery from the loss and despair from the untoward natural events.
Dr George Abraham is our South Island Correspondent based in Christchurch.
