Balle balle, jingle all the way!

Amarjot Kaur

Music breaks all barriers, they say; but when Christmas rings in with the sound of Punjabi carols being sung at churches, it seems to connect people, especially the Punjabi-speaking section of the region. A little deviation from the regular Silent Night, Holy Night, to the effervescent Paida Hoya Yeshu Jag de Bachaun nu, acquaints you with a peculiar enculturation in Punjab. Father Lawrence of Holy Family Church at Nabha Sahib, Zirakpur, shares that it was in the 20th century when the faith arrived in Punjab. Then on—the prayers, hymns and carols—all text was translated in Punjabi. “The idea was to reach out to a wider spectrum of people in Punjab, especially those dwelling in villages for they don’t understand English,” he says.

Since carols are a medium connecting people with the message of angels, it is critical that the message is conveyed in the people’s language, affirms father Lawrence. “We sing carols to propagate the message of angels that sang of the nativity of Jesus to shepherds. It’s a message of Jesus being the son of God,” he adds. From the very first week of December, choirs at different parishes of Chandigarh-Simla diocese have been visiting several houses to sing carols. Most of these houses are located in villages neighbouring Chandigarh. It is here where Punjabi carols strike a chord with the locals. “Dhol is our choice of instrument when we sing Punjabi carols. However, we do use chimta and ‘harmonium’ as well. The locals seem to love it. Sometimes, even their neighbours join in,” he shares.

Reena, 24, an assistant teacher at Sacred Heart School, Sector 26, has been singing carols since she was in seventh standard. A part of Sector 19’s Christ the King Cathedral choir, she is particularly excited about Punjabi carols. “There are about 30 people in our choir and Punjabi carols have been in trend since the last seven or eight years. What I like about carols sung in Punjabi is that they are upbeat. We use traditional Punjabi folk tunes to sing these carols so that they resonate with the masses,” she says. 24-year-old Tony Thomas, who sings at the St. Anne’s parish in Sector 32, also shares Reena’s view on Punjabi carols. “Hindi carols are quite popular, but Punjabi carols are picking up too. We have about five carols in Punjabi on our list and each time we sing them, people like it. We often used Guitar and dholak to go with the acoustic set,” he adds. The youth, however, according to Tony, is rather open to experimenting with carols, not just liturgically but with different genres as well.

Singing at Infant Jesus Catholic Church in Phase 11, Mohali, 23-year-old Lito Thomas vouches for Punjabi carols to lift up the mood. “Carols like Chadeya Loko Yeshu Sach Da Chanderma, Balle Balle bhai Jado Yeshu Janam Lea, and Dubdi Duniya Tar Gayi...Paida hoya Yeshu get people to tap their feet and break into a dance. It gets the celebratory mood rolling because people understand the language and the message of peace, love and happiness too,” he laughs.

amarjot@tribunemail.com