“I always make it here. The moment the choir starts with ‘Silent Night’, I feel at home, no matter how cold it gets,” said Jyoti Bhaduri, a regular at St Patrick’s. Past crowds at the cathedral numbered in the thousands, drawn not just by the liturgy, but by the sense of tradition and community.In Khadki, preparations at All Saints Church are festively intense. Parishioners expect their carol singing to begin around 10.30pm, ahead of the service that will carry on past midnight to welcome Christmas. “My grandparents brought me here as a child. We want every note of the hymns to speak of hope and welcome,” said Nisha Lahiri, a parishioner. At All Saints, families sometimes walk in as early as 10pm to secure seats before carols.At St Mary’s Church in Camp, organisers confirmed that their midnight service traditionally started from 11pm and continued till around 12.30am, with seasonal prayers at its heart. “Extra seating and even screens are put up outside because there is a huge crowd. People arrive early to get a seat inside the church. We get families as well as friends who come to sing, pray, and be together,” said Precila D’Souza, a parishioner.At St Xavier’s Church, brass bands and choir rehearsals have been underway for weeks, to entertain crowds with carols and shower them with festive cheer beginning as early as 9.30pm, leading into mass.For many parishioners, the crescendo of voices and lights is not only a rite of worship but a reminder of why they return year after year. As the night deepens and services unfold across Pune’s neighbourhoods, voices old and young will herald Christmas with song and prayer.
