by Priya from Mumbai asks Santa about Christmas things, learns about Marine Drive and the Arabian Sea, and hears about Mumbai’s Christmas star lantern tradition
Dear Santa, my name is Priya and I am eight years old. I live in Mumbai, India, where my mausi says our streets are so busy that even the traffic seems to have its own kind of rhythm and song.
Dear Priya, I have listened to that particular rhythm myself while flying overhead, and your mausi describes it wonderfully.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, do you know Christmas things, like all the little details of the season? My little brother thinks you might not know much since we live so far from the North Pole.
You can reassure your brother completely, Priya. Distance has never once limited how much I know about a family’s own Christmas customs. I make it my business to learn every detail, wherever in the world it happens.
My second question is about our coast. My teacher says a huge promenade curves along the sea right near our city. Is Marine Drive really that famous?
It is, Priya. Marine Drive curves gracefully along the Arabian Sea, lit up at night in a way that has earned it the nickname the Queen’s Necklace. Flying along that glowing curve each Christmas Eve is one of the prettiest views on my entire route through India.
My third question is about our star lanterns. My family hangs a big paper star outside our window every December, like a lot of our neighbors do too. Why a star specifically?
Star-shaped lanterns, called akaash kandils in parts of India, are a beloved Christmas tradition, particularly in Mumbai’s Christian community, symbolizing the star that guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem. Hanging one outside your window is a small, glowing way of sharing that hope with everyone who passes by, and I always look for those stars as I make my approach.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Priya D’Souza
Mumbai, India
P.S. Do the star lanterns help guide your sleigh too?
More than you might think, Priya. They make wonderful, cheerful landmarks.
