'Jingle Bellwa' to Bhangra Santa: Christmas carols go desi

Santa Claus grooving to a bhangra beat or lip-syncing to a Bhojpuri rendition of 'Jingle Bells', adding in some ha-ha-ha to the classic ho-ho-ho this festive season, are the many amusing, desi versions of Christmas carols.

Whether it's Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or Facebook posts, social media this year is filled with a collection of humorous Christmas carols, adapted from their original English version into various regional languages like Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Hindi and more, adding a local flair to the festive spirit.

The timeless 19th-century classic 'Jingle Bells', written by James Lord Pierpont, has undergone the most desi makeover, with many even adding animated humorous videos and whimsical tunes for a good laugh.

The Bhojpuri version of the song, 'Jingle Bellwa', is perhaps the one receiving the most views and circulating widely through countless WhatsApp forwards.

'Jingle bellwa jingle bellwa jingle bellwa bajela, daadi wala budhwa jhola leke bhaagela, ghar ghar aawela, tohfa baatela, har bachcha chilaye dekha santa aagela,' reads the lyrics of the Bhojpuri adaptation of the famous Christmas carol written back in 1850.

And how could anyone keep Punjabi music, a global sensation at the moment, from making Santa dance to its tunes? The result: a series of Punjabi party songs, apart from a version of Punjabi 'Jingle Bells', doing rounds on the internet with videos of desi Santa doing bhangra to the dhol beats.

"Everyone loves Christmas. And the adaptation of the carols in regional languages gives it a very homely touch. I have myself watched it multiple times and forwarded it to my friends and family as greetings.

"In fact, they are so hilarious that I just can't have enough of them and have been searching for more such adaptations on YouTube. The more the merrier, right?" said Khushi Bhatt, an IT employee in her 20s.

In addition to adaptations of carols, several Punjabi songs praising Jesus Christ and celebrating Christianity, such as 'Yeshu Di Balle Balle' and 'Yeshu Da Janam Hoyaa Bhaga Wali Raat Nu', have also taken the internet by storm, with numerous videos and memes featuring these songs as the backdrop.

For instance, one such viral video on Instagram humorously depicts a Christian person silently praying to God during Christmas, while non-Christians, caught up in the festive spirit, are seen dancing to the heart-pumping beats of the track 'Yeshu Da Janam Hoyaa Bhaga Wali Raat Nu'.

A different video, accompanied by the devotional background music of the song 'Yeshu masih', depicts people heading to the church and praying, with a caption that says: "CA students awaiting their final results on December 25, going to church."

The music of popular movie tracks like 'Oo Antava Oo Oo Antava' from Pushpa: The Rise, Yo Yo Honey Singh's rap, and even Hindi devotional songs like 'Har Har Shambu' also joined the Christmas bandwagon and are featured in videos showing Santa dancing and celebrating the Christmas festivities.