Christmas Day Today

Bangladesh, along with the world, is set to celebrate Christmas Day, the birthday of Jesus Christ, first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader, on Saturday.

The Christians of different groups in the country will celebrate the day amid festivity and religious fervour, offering special prayers, illuminating churches and installing Christmas trees at homes and places of worship and missions across the country.

The elderly people of the community usually dress up as 'Santa Claus' and distribute gifts among children as a part of Christmas ritual.

But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the day will be celebrated on a limited scale like the previous year, maintaining health safety rules, including maintaining social distancing and wearing masks everywhere.

It's a public holiday in Bangladesh.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in separate messages, greeted the members of the country's Christian community on the occasion.

They called upon the members of the Christian community to celebrate the holy day maintaining the health safety rules due to the fatal respiratory disease Covid-19.

In his message, President Hamid called upon the countrymen to abide by the health rules to win the ongoing war with the pandemic.

He said this lethal disease had brought human civilization to the brink of an extreme catastrophe in history. "Bangladesh is not out of it," he added.

He further said Bangladesh is a shining example of communal harmony in the world, and the country's people have been observing their respective religions, rituals and ceremonies independently for a long.

He also urged all to consolidate the long-standing tradition of religious harmony in the country irrespective of religion, caste and position.

About Jesus Christ's contribution to society, Hamid said Jesus taught people in a peaceful position with love, compassion, forgiveness, affection, empathy and the establishment of justice.

"In the afterlife, Jesus Christ put emphasis on the importance of spiritual happiness through renunciation, restraint, and charity," he opined.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, called upon the people irrespective of religion, caste and creed to unite for building a happy-prosperous 'Sonar Bangla (Golden Bangladesh)', being imbued with the spirit of the great Liberation War.

The national dailies will publish special articles highlighting the importance of Christmas.

 Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private radio stations and TV channels will air special programmes marking the festival.