Manipur, Meghalaya celebrates Christmas

State leaders including Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi and the former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Rishang Keishing along with the Christian community in presence of majority Meitei community prayed for peace and prosperity State.

Reverend LTimothy Phaomei, pastor Manipur Baptist Convention Centre church administered the intercession and the prayer for all. Wearing a festive mood, the church of MBC Centre in Imphal during its Christmas celebration witnessed a series of musical performances.

Chief Minister O Ibobi while delivering his short speech, said: “We’re all equal in the eyes of god. So everyone in this region should be proud of it and should live together peacefully.”

MP Rishang Keishing said everyone of us are sinners. So god sent Jesus to forgive us and bring peace in the world, he added.

Being the speaker of the Christmas celebration, WA Shishak, former chairman of the Manipur Human Rights Commission, said: “The time has come for those speeches of integrity to translate into action.” The former Chief Justice of the Chhatisgarh High Court also reminded the gathering that there’s too much hypocracy. Popular singer and actor Hamom Sadananda and another upcoming singer Bobin also belted out couple of Christmas numbers besides the special numbers by choir and harvest teams enthralled the gathering on the occasion of Christmas celebration.

Earlier, Governor Gurbachan Jagat in a message greeted the people of Manipur, specially the Christians of the state, on the auspicious and joyous occasion of Christmas.

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Christmas celebrated in Nagaland

KOHIMA, Dec 25 – After attending the midnight mass, believers in Nagaland today celebrated Christmas with religious fervour and gaiety.

As the sky was clear, people in their best attire thronged different churches to attend the morning services in towns and villages across the predominantly Christian state.

Ao Naga community in the capital town organized the celebration at Kohima local ground as their church can not accommodate a large crowd.

Exchange of greetings, gifts, family get together, merrymaking, visits to friends and relatives and community feasts marked the celebration during the day. Christmas, the largest festival of this hill state, is also an occasion to foster friendship. – PTI

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Hindus, Christians celebrate Christmas in Meghalaya
SHILLONG, Dec 25 – Ramakrishna Mission here today celebrated Christmas to spread the message of love, peace and universal brotherhood.

Prayers were offered to Jesus Christ amid ‘Vedic chanting’. A mix of Hindu and Christian cultures marked the worshipping of Lord Jesus who was also offered cakes, sweets and fruits.

Speaking at the function, MLA and Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Ampareen Lyngdoh said RKM made the Christmas celebrations more meaningful.

“Religion does not make man but man makes religion,” she said.

Christians and Hindus sang together Christmas carols like ‘Silent Night’, ‘Holy Night’ and ‘Oh! Come Let us Adore Him’ at the celebrations on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, thousands of people were seen crowding the city for last minute shopping of clothes, cakes, pastries and decorations to light up the Christmas trees.

Jubilation was visible all around the city with children, irrespective of caste and religion, singing Christmas carols.

Christmas trees, colourful buntings and lights and flowers adorned every household, Churches and institutions.

Christmas carols could already be heard across Meghalaya for the past one week.

Special Christmas dishes and cakes were being prepared in households and bakeries.

Hundreds of people gathered the churches here to take part in midnight prayers and candlelit mass, special readings and well-rehearsed choirs on the Christmas eve. – PTI

Christmas celebrated
City reporter
GUWAHATI, Dec 25 – Special midnight mass in churches, illuminated buildings and carols marked Christmas celebrations in the State today. A festival of the Christian community to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas has now become an occasion of joy and merry-making for the people of all castes and religions in the State.

Christmas carols from all corners added to the festivity with individual artistes and gospel bands enthralling crowds with popular numbers like Jingle bells, Santa Claus is coming to town and Silent night holy night.

Along with other parts of the State, different churches of the city commenced today’s celebration with prayers followed by refreshments and community feast. The main celebration of the city’s Catholic community was held on the premises of St Joseph’s Cathedral also known as Don Bosco Church, Panbazar and the other prime centres of celebration were the Christ Church and Guwahati Baptist Church.

Along with these centres, celebrations also took place in other parts of the city and its adjacent areas. Christmas programmes were held in other centres like the Catholic Church, Dispur, St Francis de Sales, Satgaon, Resurrection Catholic Church, Sonaighuli and St Claret’s Parish Church, Borjhar. Sub-centres of churches like Maligaon Don Bosco and the Krishna Nagar, Holy Child were also reported Christmas celebrations in the city.

People from different age groups in Santa Claus’ attire giving chocolates to the children and wishing them in the main thoroughfares was another attraction. The members of churches and voluntary organizations distributed calendar cards containing the messages of peace and greetings for the New Year in different areas of the city.

Marking the beginning of the year-ending festivities, the Christmas has also kicked off the countdown for the New Year. On the occasion, the city as a whole was seen in the colours of Xmas with the jingle bells and twinkling stars.

Today being a government holiday, a large chunk of city crowd were seen holidaying on the city roads along with the people of the Christian community. Thousands of people flocked to the churches for prayers and lighting candles. “The churches with a weeklong programme will continue the celebrations and the regular masses up to January 1,” said a member of St Joseph Church.

The city markets and the shopping malls were also abuzz with the buyers gripped in the Yuletide spirit. To add more colours to the last festival of the year, the shop owners have decorated their shops with twinkling stars, Christmas trees, life-size dummy of Santa Claus and many other Christmas accessories. A sizeable crowd was also noticed in the bakeries and card galleries of the city on the occasion of Christmas Eve on Wednesday. – The Assam Tribune