These dolls add colour to Christmas

The Christmas dolls play a significant role in the Christmas celebrations world over. The colourful dolls adorn the elegant Christmas cribs designed at the houses of Christians and at the Churches.

Even as a day left for the biggest fest, men and women alike hop into the shops and street vendors to choose the Christmas dolls that give perfect look to the cribs.

In Mangalore too, Christmas dolls are sold like hot cakes since a week as the festival day is approaching. The dolls of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, lambs, cow are in huge demand with both the big shop keepers as well as street vendors.

Rubert Fernandes from Muchur in Ganjimutt, along with his sister Binny Fernandes was too busy selling the dolls to the customers on Thursday. In a typical street vendor style, Rubert had spread over 150 dolls on few sheets of paper at the bus stand near Milagres Church. Speaking to City Herald, he said that he has been preparing the clay dolls since 40 years. “My dolls are in demand during Christmas season. I am a doll-maker by profession and hence I visit various churches in the district during Santhmari festival (annual fest) and church fairs. But the sale is always high during Christmas,” he says.

The oil painted clay dolls sold by street vendors like Rubert Fernandes and Thomas D’Souza from Valencia are mostly bought by the Christians belonging to lower and middle class families.

The price of the doll starts from Rs 10 and goes up to Rs 300. “People mostly opt for the small dolls, which are easy to carry and so I prepare such handy dolls. Only a few customers take home the big idols of Jesus Christ,” says Thomas D’Souza.

Fernandes informed that he has hiked the price of dolls this year owing to the price hike of all goods and commodities. “If a doll is sold at Rs 10 then I would get a profit margin of around Rs three and it is not so feasible considering the time I spend on making the dolls,” says Fernandes.

To compete with the locally made dolls are the dolls imported from China and from other States including Chennai. Several retailers like Jerosa Company and Jo and Co in Milagres sell dolls ranging from local to the imported. If the local made dolls are sold at slightly higher price compared to that of dolls sold by street vendors, the imported dolls could be affordable to the elite classes only.

Jo and Co proprietor Oliver Lobo said that he usually buys local made dolls from the clay model makers from outskirts of Mangalore or from the villages in the district.

“China made dolls too are in great demand for those dolls have a very beautiful and clean finishing. Those dolls made out of poly stone unlike the clay here and are eye-catching,” he says. The price of the China made dolls range between Rs 300 to Rs 10,000! The huge dolls priced at thousands are also sold in the market, especially by the parishes.

Lilly Lobo from Modankaup said that every Christian household in Modankaup area make cribs as per the direction of Modankaup Church. “We prepare either small or medium size cribs and the best crib will be given the prize,” she says.