Traditional christmas masquerade ball in Delhi

New Delhi: Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin played a perfect host to Capital’s swish set for the 6th edition of the traditional fancy masquerade ball party, marking an end to the Orthodox Christmas week and the Old New Year, which coincided with the Indian festival of Lohri.

The Embassy’s White Hall hosted a massive gathering of around 1000 people dressed in various costumes and national attires.

The guests gave free scope to their imagination thoroughly prepared for the gala event. The ball also accompanied outstanding performance by jazz band from Moscow called “Oscar Jazz”. These artists played well-known Russian numbers and international hits, making the guests break their way to the dance floor. 

The well-known singer Ksenia Maya also won the hearts of the guest by her the brilliant performance of popular Hindi songs Tere mere pyar ki charcha and Idhar chala, udhar chala. In midst of the glam and glitter, special attraction was also a 4-meter tall Christmas tree brought from Russia; this tree was gifted by the Moscow town hall.

Since early 2000 the Russian Embassy has been doing such events and it has become a very popular social event in the life of India’s capital. The Russian Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin said, “The success of this event shows how close the two nations are.” 

The Minister-Counsellor of Russian Embassy Denis Alipov dressed as brave Cossack and Tatiana Kutinova, the Press attaché of the Russian Embassy, in her moon masque and dainty beige evening gown, were declared winners for the best male and female costumes. Politicians, bureaucrats, and diplomats, including the heads of missions of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belorussia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Kuwait, Serbia, Turkmenistan, attended the rocking party which has become a must draw in the capital’s diplomatic calendar.

Masquerade balls were a mark of the Carnival season in the 15th century, and they became increasingly popular throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were sometimes set as a game among the guests, where the masked guests were suppose to be dressed as unidentifiable. The picturesque setting of the masquerade ball has also made its place in the in literature.