Churches glow with lights, while markets throng late into the night in the twin cities
RAWALPINDI:
The Christian community in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will celebrate Christmas today (Thursday) with religious devotion, reverence and great enthusiasm, in line with celebrations taking place around the world.
Churches and Christian neighborhoods across both cities have been decorated with colorful lights, flags and Christmas trees, while the distribution of Christmas cookies has begun in Christian homes and neighborhoods.
Wednesday evening marked Christmas Chand Raat, leading to a surge in festive shopping. As a result, commercial centres, markets and malls in Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained open till
Christian families, including children, were seen shopping late into the night, leading to severe traffic jams in major markets. Clothing and footwear stores saw particularly large crowds, while bakeries saw an unusual rush with families buying between four and 10 cakes at a time.
Due to Christmas Chand Raat, the churches remained active throughout the night, with a large number of families attending the service till the early hours of the morning. Religious hymns were sung and poetic tributes were offered in devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).
This year, Christmas shopping turned out to be significantly more expensive, and the prices of most goods rose by around 80 per cent. Decorative materials for Christmas trees were also almost double in price. Nevertheless, shopping remained at its peak, and Christmas trees were decorated in virtually every Christian household.
Public transport operators, including taxis, rickshaws, Qingqi and bicycle services, also charged exorbitant prices and took advantage of the festive occasion.
For Christmas Day, all churches have been equipped with closed-circuit cameras, while security guards have been deployed along with police officers. Metal detectors will be used for thorough screening and female search personnel have also been assigned. Christmas services begin at 9 a.m. today (Wednesday).
Christian leaders, pastors and pastors have expressed satisfaction with the security arrangements in all small and big churches and Christian colonies across the twin cities.
The focal persons of the Archbishop of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Babu Sajid and Rashid Chauhan, along with Reverend Asif, Reverend Qaiser and Reverend Elias Masih, stated that the police and civil administration had put in place exemplary security measures.
They added that Christmas cake ceremonies held in various institutions, ministries, police offices and government departments have instilled renewed confidence and encouragement in the Christian community.
Special recreational arrangements have also been made at all amusement parks, including the installation of new rides. On Christmas Day, December 25, all recreational parks will remain open from 9:00 a.m. to 01.00.
