Christmas Star fosters communal harmony in Shirthady

A giant Christmas star installed in Shirthady in Moodbidri taluk is not just heralding the arrival of Christmas but is also spreading the twin messages of communal harmony and minimising usage of plastic.

Three youth Prasanna Joyal Sequeira, Yathish Kulal and Abdul Rauf, have jointly made the star.

The trio also decided to send a strong message by not utilising the plastic in the Christmas Star. The three youth have worked tirelessly for the past 15 days to make a 20-ft tall and 20-ft wide star.

Centre of attraction

The Christmas Star is now the centre of attraction at Mount Carmel Church in Shirthady.

“We have used white cloth in making the Star to spread the message of peace. The festival message should spread among all the sections of the society,” they said.

Only eco-friendly materials have been used in the making of the Christmas Star. The youth were assisted by seven others who refused to take payment for their work. All the youth had worn a T-shirt with Christmas wish message during the past 15 days while making the Star.

Bamboo and wooden logs were used to form the skeletal of the Star. Then white cloth was used to cover the bamboo and wooden log frame. The white cloth is once again covered with arecanut husk.

In the middle of the star, there is a statue of Infant Jesus in a cradle. The cradle keeps swinging. Besides providing the right illumination, a fountain has also been installed near the Star as an added attraction.

About 30-metre long white cloth, 50-kg arecanut husk, 10-kg maida, car wiper motor, 20-ft bamboo, 15-ft old wooden logs and 250-gram jute threads were used for the purpose. The youth have also prepared 20-meter long Rosary that has been kept on the Star. The Rosary is prepared using 60 arecanuts and cloth threads.

Prasanna Joyal Sequeira said, “to spread the message of communal harmony, we decided to make a Christmas Star by involving members of all community. The Star also symbolises a plastic-free society.”

Yathish Kulal said, “I have been engaged in making a Star for the past five years. However, this is the biggest Star we had made so far. The star will uphold the principles of unity and communal harmony in society.”

Abdul Rauf said the younger generation should learn to respect each other. All the religions teach only peace.

“The Christmas Star should become a model to all in spreading the message of harmony,” he stressed.