Barisal Correspondent :
Christmas was observed with great enthusiasm and socio-religious flavor in Barisal in festive mood on early Thursday.
More than 20 thousand members of the three major Christian sects of the city amid tight security measures gallantly celebrated their biggest religious and socio-cultural festival on Thursday.
Eight-days long Holy Christmas and Happy New Years festival observance begins at Barisal on Friday afternoon to mark the birth of Jesus Christ and starting of their calendar year.
The eight-day long festivities started with children fair at churches on Wednesday afternoon to ensure the attendances of the special ceremonies on early Thursday with singing carols, special church prayers, and discussion meetings .
The six Christian Churches of the city, Mother Teresa’s Home, Christian religious training center, Care, Caritas, YMCA, YWCA and other Christian Institutions have arranged different types of programs including visits and special prayers at the graveyards.
The churches and adjoining grounds decorated with colorful tiny blinking lights and illuminated Christmas trees placed with a star standing right on top.
Gouripur( Mymensingh) Correspondent says: Members of the Christian community in Gouripur upazila of Mymensingh district on Thursday celebrated Christmas with much enthusiasm, festivity and religious fervour.
Christmas, the biggest religious festival of the Christians, is also a celebration of rebirth, new beginning, forgiveness and peace. For the believers, it is an occasion to renew relationship between God and humans.
According to Christian belief, Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ in the city of Bethlehem on this day.
Marking the carnival, Christians were seen offering special prayers at Gouripur Baptist Church as in some other villages of this upazila.
The prayer houses and adjoining areas decked out with colourful tiny blinking lights. Illuminated Christmas trees were placed with a star standing right on top.
Special dishes were prepared in the families of members of the community and the children sought blessings from the elders.
District President of North Mymensingh Unit of Bangladesh Baptist Church, Huebard Chakrabarthy, inhabitant of Gouripur upazila said to the New Nation, Apart from organizing special prayers in churches, cutting cakes, carol singing, exchange of pleasantries and decoration of X-mas trees were the other main features of the day.
BSS from Rangpur adds: the biggest religious festivity of the Christians Christmas marking the birthday of Jesus Christ was celebrated yesterday amid due religious fervour, festivity, fanfare and solemnity in Rangpur.
The celebrations included morning prayers, recitation from the holy Bible, carol singing, exchanging pleasantries, delivering well-wishes, cutting Christmas cakes, decoration of Xmas trees at Sadar Baptists Church and other places.
The Churches were decorated with colourful tiny blinking lights, illuminated Christmas trees were placed and special dishes were prepared in the families of the Christian community and the children were seen seeking blessings from their elders.
The Christian religious leaders welcomed the Christians and invited guests with floral wreaths at separate ceremonies in the Churches and delivered speeches with the best wishes of Christmas.
The Jihori Samos Church authority arranged elaborate programmes including cutting Christmas cake and holding discussion at Ashirbad AG School authorities in Rampura area in the city.
Former Mayor of defunct Rangpur pourasabha and noted cultural personality Kazi Md Junnon also took part in the Christmas cake cutting ceremony at Ashirbad AG School along with the Christians community people as the chief guest.
General Secretary of Rangpur Hijra Community Nadira Khanom, Pastor of Jihori Samos Church Manik, President of Setu Bandhon Sangha Muhammad Habib and local elite Mozahedul Islam Bijoy and Asaduzzaman Afzal addressed the ceremony.
Different competitions for the children were arranged and prizes distributed at Rangpur Sadar Baptist Church, Ashirbad AG School and Boldipukur Catholic Church adding more joys and cheers in celebrations of the festivity.
The invited guests and speakers in these ceremonies urged all to spread the message of peace and tolerance of the Jesus Christ among everyone in the society irrespective of their caste, creed and religion to establish peace on this beautiful planet.
They said Bangladesh is a secular country where all its citizens freely practise their own religions and asked all for working unitedly in building a developed country to make independence meaningful for its every citizen.
Christmas was observed with great enthusiasm and socio-religious flavor in Barisal in festive mood on early Thursday.
More than 20 thousand members of the three major Christian sects of the city amid tight security measures gallantly celebrated their biggest religious and socio-cultural festival on Thursday.
Eight-days long Holy Christmas and Happy New Years festival observance begins at Barisal on Friday afternoon to mark the birth of Jesus Christ and starting of their calendar year.
The eight-day long festivities started with children fair at churches on Wednesday afternoon to ensure the attendances of the special ceremonies on early Thursday with singing carols, special church prayers, and discussion meetings .
The six Christian Churches of the city, Mother Teresa’s Home, Christian religious training center, Care, Caritas, YMCA, YWCA and other Christian Institutions have arranged different types of programs including visits and special prayers at the graveyards.
The churches and adjoining grounds decorated with colorful tiny blinking lights and illuminated Christmas trees placed with a star standing right on top.
Gouripur( Mymensingh) Correspondent says: Members of the Christian community in Gouripur upazila of Mymensingh district on Thursday celebrated Christmas with much enthusiasm, festivity and religious fervour.
Christmas, the biggest religious festival of the Christians, is also a celebration of rebirth, new beginning, forgiveness and peace. For the believers, it is an occasion to renew relationship between God and humans.
According to Christian belief, Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ in the city of Bethlehem on this day.
Marking the carnival, Christians were seen offering special prayers at Gouripur Baptist Church as in some other villages of this upazila.
The prayer houses and adjoining areas decked out with colourful tiny blinking lights. Illuminated Christmas trees were placed with a star standing right on top.
Special dishes were prepared in the families of members of the community and the children sought blessings from the elders.
District President of North Mymensingh Unit of Bangladesh Baptist Church, Huebard Chakrabarthy, inhabitant of Gouripur upazila said to the New Nation, Apart from organizing special prayers in churches, cutting cakes, carol singing, exchange of pleasantries and decoration of X-mas trees were the other main features of the day.
BSS from Rangpur adds: the biggest religious festivity of the Christians Christmas marking the birthday of Jesus Christ was celebrated yesterday amid due religious fervour, festivity, fanfare and solemnity in Rangpur.
The celebrations included morning prayers, recitation from the holy Bible, carol singing, exchanging pleasantries, delivering well-wishes, cutting Christmas cakes, decoration of Xmas trees at Sadar Baptists Church and other places.
The Churches were decorated with colourful tiny blinking lights, illuminated Christmas trees were placed and special dishes were prepared in the families of the Christian community and the children were seen seeking blessings from their elders.
The Christian religious leaders welcomed the Christians and invited guests with floral wreaths at separate ceremonies in the Churches and delivered speeches with the best wishes of Christmas.
The Jihori Samos Church authority arranged elaborate programmes including cutting Christmas cake and holding discussion at Ashirbad AG School authorities in Rampura area in the city.
Former Mayor of defunct Rangpur pourasabha and noted cultural personality Kazi Md Junnon also took part in the Christmas cake cutting ceremony at Ashirbad AG School along with the Christians community people as the chief guest.
General Secretary of Rangpur Hijra Community Nadira Khanom, Pastor of Jihori Samos Church Manik, President of Setu Bandhon Sangha Muhammad Habib and local elite Mozahedul Islam Bijoy and Asaduzzaman Afzal addressed the ceremony.
Different competitions for the children were arranged and prizes distributed at Rangpur Sadar Baptist Church, Ashirbad AG School and Boldipukur Catholic Church adding more joys and cheers in celebrations of the festivity.
The invited guests and speakers in these ceremonies urged all to spread the message of peace and tolerance of the Jesus Christ among everyone in the society irrespective of their caste, creed and religion to establish peace on this beautiful planet.
They said Bangladesh is a secular country where all its citizens freely practise their own religions and asked all for working unitedly in building a developed country to make independence meaningful for its every citizen.
