Christmas celebrated amid much enthusiasm

The holy Christmas, the biggest religious festival of the Christian community, was celebrated today in Bangladesh as elsewhere in the world with festivity and much enthusiasm commemorating the birthday of Jesus Christ.

Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ on the day, which is a public holiday in Bangladesh and most other countries across the world.

On the occasion, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages greeting the members of the Christian community.

The Christian community celebrated the festival with huge enthusiasm and religious fervor by holding special prayers, illuminating churches and installing makeshift X-mas trees at homes and places of worship and missions.

Ringing of church bells in the midnight marked the advent of the day when the followers of the faith welcomed it with carols assembling in churches and other such venues.

Churches and adjoining areas were decked out with colorful tiny blinking lights, while illuminated Christmas trees placed with a star standing right on top as elderly people of the community attired in the outfit of Santa Claus made fun with children and distributed gifts as part of a universal Christian practice.

The security was beefed up at different strategic points in the capital and many other places of the country to ensure peaceful celebration of the festival.

Special prayers were offered at the churches including St. Mary's Cathedral at Kakrail, Holy Rosary Church at Tejgaon and St. Christina's Catholic Church at Asad Avenue in the city seeking divine blessings for the welfare, peace and prosperity of the country, its people and humanity as a whole.