Maharashtra: Rush in Nashik markets ahead of Christmas

NASHIK: Some city markets – especially on College Road and in Nashik Road areas — have been witnessing a significant rush ahead of the Christmas and New Year.
With Christmas around the corner, decorative lamps, lanterns and Christmas trees have been put up in houses, churches and shops. The members of the Christian community are gearing up for the festivities. Christmas merchandise, including artificial Christmas trees, decorative lamps, soft toys of Santa Claus, Santa caps, bells, Christmas baubles and other Christmas ornaments has flooded the shops, as shopkeepers are hoping for a better season of sale.
“Last year due to Covid outbreak, the shopkeepers kept only selected items for the season as many were not spending on these items due to Covid related illness, unfortunate deaths of family members and also financial problems. But now the situation has improved,” said Aniket Sathe, a shopkeeper in Nashik Road.
With almost no restrictions, few Covid cases and better vaccination coverage in the district, people have become confident of celebrating the festivals safely and hence more people are going to the markets to buy goods, even as public gatherings are not allowed.
“This year’s celebration will be with family, specifically because public events are still not allowed. We will not miss a chance to celebrate Christmas this year. We have our relatives coming down from Dubai for the season,” said Sophia Augustine, a resident of Nashik Road.
“The Christian community will be celebrating the festival this year on a large scale. The business is almost the same as it was during pre-Covid times. The sale is much higher than the last year when people hardly came out and there were strict restrictions on the movement of the people,” Hitesh Patel, a cloth merchant, said.