The market is flooded with an umpteen varieties of stars. But far away, in the islet of Perumbalam in Alappuzha, a few families make their own stars to usher in the spirit of Christmas, that too in line with nature.
Fashioned out of bamboo, the products are being made by artisans of the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission unit of Perumbalam.
The Christmas stars are handmade, say the artisans. Each star could take around 30 minutes to make and needs an artist’s undivided attention.
The untreated bamboo is first sliced into small sticks depending on the size of the Christmas star. Five such sticks are then affixed onto each other and tied to form the frame. Two such frames are then joined to make the final frame. Colour papers are then stuck onto this and voilà, you have yourself a Christmas star.
Fond memories
As Haridasan M., who has arrived from Perumbalam, gives a few final touches to one such star in his work shed in the capital city, he fondly recalls the spirit of Christmas when he was a child. He would join his father in making these bamboo stars.
Every Christmas, this tradition of star-making remained unchanged. Now, his son Abhijith T.H. who has finished college, has joined him in the venture.
“It has always been like this. We created our own stars. We got power connection quite recently. Earlier, we would light a candle inside the star. There is a certain nostalgia associated with this. It is a painstaking and arduous process but I grew up seeing this. Our neighbourhood too makes their own stars,” recalls Mr. Haridasan. “Not to mention the fact that these stars are eco-friendly,” chips in Abhijith.
Cloth stars
This tradition of star-making is followed in the islet of Perumbalam by many families and even during other festive occasions and sports matches. “We use cloth while making huge stars. And it gives a grand display,” says Mr. Haridasan.
The RT Mission has joined hands with Culture Shoppe to provide a platform for the artisans to sell these stars, priced at ₹300, through the mission’s outlets. This no-profit-no-loss project is a green initiative of Culture Shoppe to curb the use of plastic Christmas lamps from China that flood the Kerala markets.
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