We have all seen that gorgeous lime yellow raintree in Fort Kochi, which has gone viral ever since the lights were turned on on December 25. Although the tree has gained fame post-Covid, it was a tradition started by an enthusiastic group of young men in the year 2000. And for the past 25 years, the group of friends has been decorating a giant 70 feet tall and 80 feet wide rain tree in Veli Ground, Fort Kochi, with strings of lights, stars, clay bells and balls made of lights.
“We did not expect our ‘Christmas tree’ to blow up like this. This ‘phenomenon’ started post-Covid, when content creators began posting about the tree, calling it the ‘biggest’ Christmas tree. In the beginning, for us, it was just a local tree we were dressing up for us and our families! But look at it now…it has gone viral not just nationally but internationally too,” says Manish MS, convener of Knights United, which has been decorating the tree for years.
“It started when we were kids, we were members of three sporting clubs — Sparks, Eagle and Sharjah. One of our older members, Nixon, now a policeman, took lead in decorating the tree in the neighbourhood. It was just something one of the kids mentioned at the time, one of those Christmas time things,” says Manish.
The three sports clubs ‘united’ to become Knights United, sometime in 2009-10, to include members of other clubs who joined them over time. This has been an annual event with everybody coming together for the big event. “Getting the tree done up is a lot of hard work, it may look effortlessly beautiful, but it is not. We started preparing on December 6, doing it in parts and phases, we cannot spend all our time here. We have day jobs that we need to do to sustain our families,” he says. Manish builds interiors of houses.
The Santa Claus of the Christmas tree
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THULASI KAKKAT
Lights like flowing water
This year, especially, the tree looks stunning with lime yellow string lights, resembling flowing water, draped over it. “It was so hard to explain the colour when we were discussing the design. But look at how beautifully it has turned out,” he says. He makes a special mention of the 20 feet tall Santa Claus placed near the tree, “it is one of the best Santas this year in Fort Kochi. Certain localities and other spaces have put these up. Ours is one of the cuter ones!”
The star which sits atop the Christmas tree being made
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Special Arrangement
Work starts on the design and other aspects a couple of months in advance. The lights and other baubles are arranged manually on the tree. The strings on the tree are made up of more than one lakh bulbs, which are powered by two generators which use diesel worth ₹9,000 every night. The lights will be turned on at 6.30pm daily until New Year’s Day on January 1 and switched off at around 1.30pm.
Crowds of people celebrating
“However, on days when there are more people, we are asked to turn off the lights by 12am. The surging crowds around the tree is a cause of concern, understandably… we are asked by the police, the Collector and local bodies to not keep the lights on till very late to prevent untoward incidents. In the past, before all the hype we would keep the lights on into the wee hours!” Manish reminisces.
There is more to what Knights United does. Manish says he and some of the others keep an eye on the people visiting the area. “Apart from misbehaviour, we keep an eye out for potential problem makers, people under the influence of drugs, for instance, can be problematic,” he adds. Sanctions are needed from the government departments such as the Corporation, Police, and the Fire Department.
Drive by donation and goodwill
Apart from the strings of lights, which are rented, the tree is decorated with stars, 75-odd bells, customised and made of clay, 100 balls or “lighting balls” as Manish calls them, and 100-odd strings of lights that hang from the tree. The expenses this year have run up to around ₹11 lakh, from donations, which were hard to come by this time because it was election year. “But now, because it has gone viral, we have people asking us why we did not include them. These are the same people who refused donations… next year might be easier because of this!” he adds.
“Once upon a time there were more than 100 of us to do everything. This year there are barely 35 of us and very few youngsters. Of the old timers, there is me, Sanoj PS and Suraj who are actively part of it, the others have moved away — on work and other commitments. Those who can come, try to make it. Very few youngsters are part of this, probably it is not fun enough for them. Also it is a lot of physical labour, getting this done. Not just that this comes with responsibility too…one has to return everything intact and make the payments on time. It will be January 10 by the time we are done with everything, including settling accounts.”
Published – December 31, 2025 09:37 pm IST
