Bhubaneswar: Christmas was celebrated with traditional fervour in Odisha including the sensitive Kandhamal district Monday as thousands of people thronged churches for special prayers.
Christmas was celebrated in a big way in the cities of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Berhampur, Rourkela, Jeypore and Rayagada and in the districts of Kandhamal, Gajapati, Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and other places where Christians live in large number.
Odisha Governor Raghubar Das and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik greeted the people on the occasion.
Describing the festival as a symbol of peace, harmony and humanism, the governor in a message wished the people of Odisha, especially the Christian community happiness, peace and prosperity.
Wishing the people of the state on this day, Patnaik appealed for their cooperation to build a developed and empowered Odisha.
Churches across the state were decorated with lights, candles, Christmas trees, bells, Santa Claus figurines, and elaborate decorations.
Celebrations began with midnight prayers Sunday night marking the birth of Lord Jesus. Mass prayers and special services were held in most of the Churches Monday morning.
Both Roman Catholics and Protestants celebrated the festival with religious fervour visiting the impeccably decorated Churches. People lighted candles and joined mass prayers in the churches.
In Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, apart from the Christian community, a large number of locals visited the churches on this special occasion.
“On this auspicious holy day, I appeal to all to experience the love, joy and happiness that God has given to us and share it with all our brothers and sisters,” said Archbishop John Barwa, head of the catholic church in Odisha.
Meanwhile, tight security arrangements have been made and police have intensified patrolling in the sensitive Kandhamal district of Odisha, which witnessed a large-scale riots in 2007 and 2008.
As many as 42 platoons (one platoon comprises 30 personnel) of police force were deployed in the Kandhamal district. The police conducted flag marches in all police stations of the district.
People stepped into churches at Phulbani, G.Udayagiri, Balliguda, Raikia, Daringbadi, Kotagarh and Bamunigam and offered prayers to Lord Jesus.
Police said the festival is being celebrated without any report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the state.
To mark this day, internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a Santa Claus using two tonne of onions and sand at Blue Flag beach, Puri. The sculpture is 100 feet long, 20 feet high and 40 feet wide in size. Pattnaik and students of his sand art school took eight hours to complete the sculpture.
PTI