The Christmas Day commemorating the birthday of Jesus Christ is being celebrated on Wednesday with festivity across the country as elsewhere in the world, reports BSS.
The Christians of different groups is celebrating the festival amid festivity and religious fervour by offering special prayers, illuminating churches, installing makeshift Christmas trees at homes and places of worship and missions.
Elderly people of the community, attired in the outfit of Santa Claus, usually make fun with children and distribute gifts among kids as part of a universal Christian practice.
The day is a public holiday.
In separate messages, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus greeted members of the Christian community on the occasion.
They wished peace, welfare, and prosperity to all citizens, including Christians, of the country.
President Shahabuddin, in his message, said Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony as people of all religions have been practicing their religions and rituals independently in this country for long.
He urged all to work together to build a happy, prosperous, and non-communal Bangladesh.
About Jesus Christ's contribution to society, the President said Jesus taught people to be in a peaceful position with love, compassion, forgiveness, affection, empathy, and the establishment of justice.
“Instead of earthly life, Jesus Christ put emphasis on the importance of spiritual happiness through renunciation, restraint, and charity,” Shahabuddin said.
The President thought that the teachings and ideals of Jesus Christ are very relevant in establishing peace and harmony in a trouble-torn world apart from establishing harmony and unity among nations.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, in his message, hoped that Christmas will further strengthen the existing camaraderie and harmony between Christians and other communities in the country.
For thousands of years, he said, people of all religions, regardless of race, religion, or caste, have lived together in harmony in this country. People of all religions and communities have ultimate freedom to practice their own religion.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
