UDALGURI, Dec 24 - As many as 432 churches in Udalguri district are all set to celebrate Christmas tomorrow along with the rest of the globe. All these churches have been given a new look with bright lighting and decorations. The households belonging to people of the Christian faith, too, have been brightened up while sweet melodies of carols are being heard in the villages as well. The weekly market in Udalguri was also teeming with enthusiastic customers ahead of the celebrations.
Since the British era, the Udalguri region has been a favoured ground for the Christian missionaries to take the tribal community into Christianity. It was Rev Sydney Endle who had set up the St Paul�s Church in Bengbari in Udalguri district way back in 1865, which is now 155 years old and has attained the status of being the oldest Boro church in India. Next to it is the Nwlbari Baptist Church set up in 1918, which is now 102 years old.
The churches situated in the district include 168 Boro Baptist Convention churches, 64 Roman Catholic churches, 65 North India churches, 31 NELC (Lutheran Boro) churches, 29 NELC (Adivasi) churches, 10 BELC (Lutheran) churches and 45 others, which include Nepali churches, too.
