In pics: Cake-mixing ceremony, air pollution and more latest news from Kolkata

Cake-mixing ceremony in progress at Park Street Metro station, Kolkata. Cake-mixing is an ancient tradition in which large amounts of dry fruits, nuts, and other dry ingredients are mixed together in preparation for Christmas-special cakes and desserts. Cake-mixing ceremonies are also often regarded as heralding the Christmas season and New Year celebrations

As year-end celebrations begin throughout the city, Ibiza The Fern Resort and Spa, Kolkata, hosted a star-studded cake-mixing ceremony on November 30. Actors Mumtaz Sorcar and Sayantani Guhathakurta and singer Soumitra Ray joined the celebrations. In tandem with the festive spirit of the month, the guests were handed out Santa caps and Christmas decor and crooning created the perfect ambience. The cake-mixing ceremony in itself was a splendid affair with over 30 kilogram of fruits and several litres of wine, whisky, beer, brandy and rum going into the mix, which will steep for a good one month before it is used for Christmas cakes and puddings. Subhadip Basu, general manager, Ibiza, said, “We celebrate the ritual every year, however, COVID played a dampener. This year, we are celebrating with much enthusiasm and fanfare. We hope to make It a bigger celebration next year.”

Students of Koshi Saint James Residential Secondary School, Nepal, enjoy a guided tour of Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, on December 7

Ashok Kumar Banik, senior vice-president of Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BNCCI); Debashis Dutta, president, BNCCI; Babul Supriyo, minister-in-charge, Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal and Madan Mohan Maity, vice-president, BNCCI, during and interactive session on ‘Exploring Bengal: Prospects of Tourism in post-COVID Period’ at the conference hall of BNCCI, Kolkata, on December 7

People leave for work against the backdrop of a smog-enveloped horizon in the Dhapa landfill area. The city has been experiencing poor-quality air due to high levels of air pollution for the last couple of weeks

Farmers pluck marigold flowers from a field in Nadia