Tradition, spirituality and joy: Christmas carols in Bangladesh

A group of Catholics perform Borodiner Kirtan (Christmas carols) in Dhaka on Dec. 16. (Photo: Stephan Uttom/ucanews)

Hiron Patrick Gomes is a bit upset that his team lost its crown at a recent Borodiner Kirtan (Christmas Carol) contest in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka.

Gomes' team was among 17 Kirtan Dals (Carol Groups) from around the country that participated on Dec. 16 in a competition organized by the Christian Cooperative Credit Union Ltd (CCCUL), the country's largest cooperative bank.

It was the third version of the contest hosted by the CCCUL, coming just days before most Christians in the city head back to their villages to spend Christmas with family and friends.

Gomes and his team were champions last year but this year had to settle for fourth.

"We practiced for more than a week and performed quite well. We are a bit upset, but not heartbroken. In the past years, I have won many competitions and hope to win more in the future," Gomes, 32, a Catholic father of one, told ucanews.

Gomes Gomes has been an ardent kirtan fan since he was a boy and has sung in numerous carol performances in his home village of Doripara in Gazipur district, covered by Dhaka Archdiocese, one of Bangladesh's oldest and largest Catholic settlements.

"For Christians in the country, carols have special significance during Christmas season in terms of spirituality and culture," Gomes told ucanews. "I have been involved with carols since my childhood in the village. Every Christmas we used to form groups and sing carols at every house in the village."

Gomes, a professional singer, spent a few years at a diocesan seminary and his time there helped him learn various forms of traditional carols.

He is now a busy NGO worker and lives with his family in Dhaka but never misses the chance to take part in Christmas carols, whether at home or in contests.

"Carol is a soulful expression of our joy and spirituality during Christmas, our pride and heritage. We are glad that together we are back to revive and carry on our age-old tradition. I hope this will continue in the coming days," Gomes added.

A Christmas special

Kirtan is a widely popular tradition among Bengali Christians in Bhawal as well in other parts of the country and also among ethnic indigenous Catholics in the north and northeast of Bangladesh.

The songs are sung all year round but mostly of course during Christmas, making it as integral part of people's celebrations for several weeks.

Usually, kirtan is performed by a group of 10-20 people, wearing traditional colorful dress, with a lead singer supported by musicians playing harmonium (keyboards), khol (folk drum) and kartal (cymbals). A performance can take about 10-20 minutes.

In Mymensingh Diocese, a predominantly tribal area, Garo Catholics have developed kirtan with their own language and perform it in parish churches and villages.

Ethnic Santals celebrate Sohrai, the harvest festival, only days before Christmas, when they sing kirtan and other traditional songs.

Santal Catholics have also developed kirtan-like music from the Sohrai songs, says James Kisku, who lives in northern Rajshahi district.

"Since becoming Christians, Santals have transformed this traditional song with the birth, life and works of Jesus," he said. "Sohrai songs also have their origins in Hindu tradition and since becoming Christians they have adapted this tradition into a new form. During Christmas, Santal Catholics visit houses in the village and sing in groups."

The evolution of kirtan and Christmas

Kirtan is a Sanskrit word, meaning "narrating, reciting, telling and describing" an idea or story, mostly associated with musical performance arts to denote religiosity or spirituality.

It has developed into a popular genre of traditional Bengali music out of the ancient Hindu musical tradition of worship to the god Vishnu. It was Vaishvavas, a major Hindu sect which workships Vishnu, popularized the tradition of Hari Kirtan or Namkirtan (Carols for Vishnu).

Lilakirtan or Rasakirtan is another form of kirtan deriving from love stories involving the Hindu god Krishna, his lover Radha and the Gopis (milkmaids).

Sri Chaitanya, a 15th century Bengali Hindu mystic, saint and reformer, turned kirtan into a social movement, using these songs to preach his humanist ideas and ideals. He gave namkirtan a musical form and made it popular in ancient Bengal, which now comprises Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal), according to Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia of Bangladesh.

In Muslim-majority Bangladesh kirtan is also popular among minority Christians. 

That is because half the country's estimated 600,000 Christians are descendants of lower-caste Hindus, who embraced Christianity thanks to the preaching of European missionaries in the 16th century.

In the ensuing decades, Christians maintained their cultural and traditional heritage, and in the course of time transformed kirtan with new lyrics and tunes focusing on the birth, life and works of Jesus Christ.

The transformation of traditional kirtan has enriched Christian music in Bangladesh, says Joseph Komol Rodrigues, a Catholic and prominent music composer and singer.

"Music plays an important part in Christian liturgy and kirtan has become an integral part of Christian music in the country," he said. "We have inherited this tradition from our ancestors and kirtan tells us about our original roots and heritage."

The advent of modern cultural interests, such as pop music, pose threats to traditions like kirtan, so it needs preservation and protection, he noted.

"The Church, Christian groups and institutes need to sponsor this tradition more and more, so it can continue all year round, not just once a year. It must be a continued process, so that rich traditions like kirtan can be sustained and even internationalized one day," Rodrigues added.

Traditions find a home in the Church

The Church holds high popular musical traditions because they resonate well with traditions in the Bible, says Father Patrick Gomes, a Catholic musician and Bible scholar, based in northern Rajshahi Diocese.

"Musical traditions like kirtan have Biblical connections, such as Jews singing thanksgiving songs using bugles, King David singing and playing the violin, the singing of the Psalms and also in the New Testament where members of first Church sing songs to thank God. Kirtan in particular is a great way of praising God together," Father Gomes told ucanews.

Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has opened up for inculturation of liturgy, and actively encouraged and inspired local traditions and cultural heritage, said Father Gomes, former secretary of Catholic Bishops' Commission for Liturgy and Prayer.

In recent years, the Church has included kirtans in Gitaboli (Songs), a book of officially recognized Church songs, and also published musical CDs with dozens of kirtan songs, the priest said.

"In this largely non-Christian country, most people know about Christmas more or less, and they know Christians sing kirtan during this time," he said. "Thus, kirtan is also a great way of preaching Good News and promote dialogue among people."

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