Steel city is all decked up for Christmas celebrations on December 25.While churches have been decked up for the occasion, shops are flooded with Christmas trees and gifts.
Churches have been illuminated to ensure that the faithful present at night enjoy the occasion . Almost all the churches in the city will start their first prayer service between 10:30 pm- 11:30 pm.
The St. Joseph's Cathedral in Golmuri, the biggest church, is expected to have a crowd of 2000 people attending the midnight mass. There are seven Roman Catholic churches in the city are -Bistupur, Golmuri, Telco, Sonari, Parsudih, Kitadih and Mango. The total number of churches in the city is 26.
For many churches, Christmas celebrations and welfare activities go hand in hand. Each member of Bistupur-based St Mary’s Church pooled in items will be donated to the poor for the second consecutive year. “We have been organising it for the past two years. Anybody can come and donate clothes, foodgrains, shoes and whatever they wish to for the poor. There are some members of the church who look into this philanthropic work. In fact we distributed the donation on Christmas eve today,” said a parish priest of St. Mary's Church in Bistupur.
Apart from prayer services and philanthropic acts, the market is flooded with gifts this season. What's most common are musical Santa and toys available between a range of Rs 149 to Rs 349, Christmas trees starting from Rs 59 to Rs 7000, Christ and Mother Mary mementoes or showpieces starting from 399. Crib sets ranging between Rs 600 and Rs 750 are being sold as Christmas gifts. Also there is a Christmas fountain of Rs 1500. Christmas lamps are also on sale at Rs 125.
Meanwhile, Loyola School celebrated the occasion with much pomp and fanfare. Christmas carols and jingles spread around the campus as students presented a number of skits.
The stage was decorated with a Christmas Tree and stars and balloons of different hues. Silver and gold streamers hung everywhere. Christmas carols and songs were heard all over the school this morning. The passage on Christmas was read out by the Principal accompanied by carols sung by the members of the Glee Club.
The school campus wore a festive look decorated with Christmas trees, bells, stars and snowmen. Students decorated trees with balloons, cherries and bells. Song and dance performances on “Jesus born today”, “Bells are ringing” and “We wish you merry Christmas” showcased the spirit of the festival. Christmas carols were also sung by students. A hut was also made depicting the scene of Jesus Christ’s birth.