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India celebrates Christmas with traditional fervour

     New Delhi Panji/ Mumbai: Christmas is being celebrated today with enthusiasm and religious fervor. Special prayers were held at midnight in the churches marking the birth of Jesus Christ. In national capital, Hundreds of people gathered the famed Sacred Heart Cathedral and sang carols and lighted candles inside the church to offer prayers. In Goa, locals and tourists came out in large numbers to offer prayers across various churches in the state amid tight security. In the wake of recent Mumbai terror attacks, authorities have imposed heavy security in Goa. "It's different from previous years. I hope everything is going well. And I can see outside here, there is heavy security," said Raymond, a tourist from Finland. Undaunted by the recent terror attacks, people came out in large numbers in Mumbai to usher in Christmas celebrations amid solemnity. Respecting the festive spirit, the people observed the customs associated with Christmas. Though subdued, the festive fervour was clearly etched on their faces as they lit candles and offered prayers of hope. "I don't think that people should be afraid, I think people should come here and stand united together to show terrorists that we are not afraid. We almost cancelled our trip to Mumbai because of the terrorist attacks, but then but we decided why should we? We are quite happy to be here and I think we are quite happy to stand here with Indians, against terrorism," said Jaishni Africa, visitor from South Africa.
-Dec 25, 2008