Vilachery Artisans Battle Rainfall to Keep Christmas Spirit Alive

Artisans in Vilachery, near Madurai, are striving to overcome heavy rains impacting their traditional Christmas figurine craft. This occupation sustains 300 families, with handcrafted figures sent to various Indian states for the festive season. The current weather predicament challenges their livelihoods and reduces production significantly.

In Vilachery, a small village located near Madurai, Tamil Nadu, artisans are fervently crafting figurines for Christmas cribs, a tradition that has supported around 300 families over the years. These figurines, which depict Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, shepherds, angels, and animals, are dispatched across states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and Andhra Pradesh, gracing both churches and homes during the festive period.

This year presents significant challenges due to severe rainfall, which has disrupted production. Senthil Kumar, an artisan, lamented to ANI about the reduced output compared to previous years, attributing the decline to the persistent weather conditions that have hampered their work.

Artisan Deepa highlighted the detrimental impact on their livelihoods, emphasizing how inconsistent production has led to erratic employment opportunities for those reliant on this craft. As the Christmas season approaches, the Vilachery artisans hope for drier days to sustain their cherished tradition.

(With inputs from agencies.)