New Year greeted with parties

New Year greeted with parties

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Jan 1, 2011: The people of Mangalore welcomed New Year 2012 with fireworks, parties, music, dance, and prayer meetings at various places of worship, houses, and hotels. 

The hotels were booked, while pubs and discos were packed with revellers. People greeted each other while teenagers and young adults riding along the city roads greeted not only strangers, but also policemen on duty. 

 

The city has also developed some weird customs such as burning effigies of old men at intersections. Sometimes, the effigy strongly resembles Santa Claus. Those from outside Mangalore continued to be perplexed with this weird custom, especially when boys representing various youth groups sit near the effigies and collected money for New Year celebrations. 

In fact, youth groups had been requested by the fire department and the police not to burn effigies and collect money and a few youth groups were also publicly admonished. In spite of this, tradition refuses to die. 

Some churches also held late evening masses, which a large number of people attended.