Christian community celebrates Xmas today

Rush of buyers at Bohri Bazaar; security stepped up at churches across Sindh

KARACHI:

The Christian community is set to celebrate the joyous occasion of Christmas with fervour and enthusiasm nationwide, including in Karachi, today (Monday).

Vibrant displays of Christmas trees and Stars of David adorn churches, homes, and neighbourhoods, while electric lanterns illuminate houses and streets.

The festive celebrations commenced with Sunday mass in all churches of the metropolitan city, including St Patrick's and Holy Trinity.

Christian priests conveyed the teachings of Jesus Christ, accompanied by special songs and prayers for peace, security, prosperity, and development in the country. These prayer events will continue until Monday.

Residential areas of the Christian community are hosting special Christmas events, embellishing houses with festive decorations. Christmas cakes are being cut, and Santa Claus is spreading joy by distributing gifts to children.

In the spirit of Christmas, community members, from men to children, have adorned themselves with new clothes and exchanged greetings, gifts, and well-wishes.

As the Christian community geared up on Sunday to complete their last minute preparations, markets in Saddar were seen crowded.

Read Parks get new look ahead of Christmas

Bohri Bazar on Christmas

According to shopkeepers of the Bohri Bazar, the buying capacity of Christian community in Karachi is already quite low and now it's accompanied by uncontrollable inflation. With the depreciating value of the rupee, Christmas ornaments have become 20-25% more costly. The price of an 8-10ft long Christmas tree is Rs1,000 costlier than last year. The decoration items to decorate the trees are purchased separately which include shining stars, small Christmas bells, little Santas and icy bulbs. The shopkeepers observe that the shopping for Christmas items begins from the start of December and continue till Christmas Eve. A visible increase in purchases is seen in the week right before Christmas.

Sharing love

On Christmas, apart from the Christian community, people from other communities also present cakes to their friends. Bakeries have prepared special cakes that are sold all day long. Along with that, five-star hotels of the cities and large-scale cake shops have specially prepared Christmas themed desserts, sales of which have already begun. Courier companies are also providing special cake-delivery service for the day.

The sweets and bakers shops on Jail Road and Bahadurabad are seen crowded while the bakeries in Saddar are receiving huge orders for cakes.

Security alert

As Christmas approaches, the Sindh police chief, IG Rifat Mukhtar Raja, has issued directives for enhanced security measures across the province, ensuring comprehensive safety for both Quaid-i-Azam Day and Christmas. Emphasis is placed on robust security at Mazar-i-Quaid, surrounding areas, and main gates, with the Bomb Disposal Squad conducting thorough sweeping and clearance processes.

For Christmas, the police chief stressed extraordinary security in churches, missionary schools, and educational institutions throughout the province, especially in Christian community areas. Coordination with relevant police stations and event organisers is deemed crucial, with SHOs instructed to be present during celebrations.

The focus is on real-time updates and coordination through wireless control bases.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2023