Christmas Friday
Christmas Day, the birthday of Jesus Christ, will be celebrated Thursday worldwide.
The Christians of different groups in Bangladesh along with others across the world will celebrate the day amid festivity and religious fervor.
They will celebrate the day by offering special prayers, illuminating churches and decorating Christmas trees at homes and places of worship and missions across the country.
Some 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.
But due to the pandemic COVID-19, the day will be celebrated in a limited scale maintaining health rules, including maintaining social distancing and wearing masks everywhere.
The day is a public holiday in Bangladesh.
President M Abdul Hamid, prime minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader in the Jatiya Sangsad Begum Rowshan Ershad, in separate messages, greeted members of the Christian community on the occasion.
In his message, president Hamid called upon countrymen to abide by the health rules.
He said Bangladesh is a shining example of communal harmony in the world and people of the country have been observing their respective religions, rituals and ceremonies independently for 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 the society, Hamid said Jesus taught people about 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 added.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, called upon the people irrespective of religion, caste and creed to unite for building a hunger-and-poverty-free and a happy and prosperous Bangladesh, being imbued with spirit of the Great Liberation War.
The premier said the COVID-19 infection has currently made the whole world very upset.
In this context, she urged everyone to celebrate Christmas this time by maintaining health rules, including the social distancing.
“Let’s pray that the God may free our country as well as the whole world from this lethal disease,” the prime minister added.
Sheikh Hasina said Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem on this day and one of his vows was to establish a society, free from exploitation by establishing justice and peace in the world.
Greeting the countrymen, specially the Christians, on the occasion, the head of the government wished for peace, welfare and prosperity of all citizens.