Christmas was observed with a lot of fervor and excitement.
Ceremonies of special significance and times of prayer were organized all around the country.
ISLAMABAD: On Sunday, the Christian community around Pakistan celebrated the important holiday of Christmas with customary zeal and fervor.
The Christian community observed the festival by participating in a variety of events, such as formal meetings, cake-cutting rituals, house illuminations, and church prayers.
On Friday, the last day of work, special cake-cutting rituals were held at several ministries and departments to celebrate the holiday with the Christian staff members and recognize their achievements.
Churches all around Pakistan hosted special services, during which prayers were offered for Pakistan’s peace, progress, and prosperity as well as for the protection of all people from disease and natural disasters.
The Christmas festival’s key draws included customs like putting up Christmas trees, welcoming Santa Claus, praying in churches, singing carols, and giving out presents, which added charm to the celebration.
The decoration of the Christmas tree to prepare for Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, is the central custom of the holiday celebration.
Various ornaments, such as baubles, tiny bells painted in gold or silver, stars of various sizes and shapes, pine cones, apples, candies, tinsel, and balloons made of glass, metal, wood, and ceramic are frequently used to decorate Christmas trees.
The top of the tree is frequently decorated with an angel and a star to signify the multitude of angels.
In partnership with the UP Church and Saint Thomas Church in Islamabad, the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) organized unique programs to celebrate Christmas on Friday at the Pakistan National Heritage Museum.
A cake-cutting ceremony, a gathering of the Christian community, the setting up of the Christmas tree, the display of artists at work, the giving of candy to children by Santa Claus, Christmas music, folk songs, and dances were among the events that took place.
On Friday, the Traffic Wing of the Islamabad Traffic Police organised an event to celebrate Christmas and gave out gifts to the staff.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Nasir Mahmood, presided over a wonderful event at Allama Iqbal Open University to show support for the university’s Christian staff members.
It has been noted that many workplaces, hotels, and shopping malls in the capital have decorated Christmas trees to draw customers, particularly youngsters, while the Christian community has also put up several bazaars at their nearby locations offering a variety of festival-related goods.
On the eve of Christmas, the Islamabad police ensured thorough security measures with enhanced deployment at churches and public locations.
According to the authorities, more than 1,500 police officers were stationed close to Islamabad’s churches, and Christmas and other special checks were organised with failsafe security measures.
The majority of the Christian population is located in the Katchi Abadis, where it has been seen that a lot of stalls have been set up. The proprietors of the shops presented a variety of ornaments for decoration as well as Santa Claus’ outfit, which attracted children and young people.
To draw in more consumers, various retailers and restaurants in the federal capital provided attractive deals around Christmas.
