Churches shine with lights as markets bustle late into the night in the Twin Cities
RAWALPINDI:
The Christian community in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will celebrate the festival of Christmas today (Thursday) with religious devotion, reverence and much enthusiasm, mirroring the celebrations taking place across the world.
Churches and Christian neighborhoods in both cities were decorated with colorful lights, flags and Christmas trees, while the distribution of Christmas cakes began in Christian homes and surrounding areas.
Wednesday evening marked Chand Raat Christmas, leading to a surge in festive shopping. As a result, malls, markets and shopping centers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained open till 2 am.
Christian families, including children, were seen shopping late into the night, leading to severe traffic jams in major markets. Clothing and shoe stores were particularly busy, while bakeries were exceptionally busy, with families buying between four and ten cakes at a time.
Thanks to the Christmas Chand Raat, churches remained active throughout the night, with large numbers of families attending worship until the wee hours of dawn. Religious hymns were sung and poetic tributes were offered in devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).
This year, Christmas shopping proved significantly more expensive, with prices of most items increasing by around 80 percent. The price of decorative materials for Christmas trees has also almost doubled. Nevertheless, shopping remained at its peak and Christmas trees were decorated in virtually every Christian home.
Public transport operators, including taxis, rickshaws, Qingqi and bicycle services, also charged inflated fares, taking advantage of the festive occasion.
For Christmas Day, all churches were equipped with closed circuit cameras, while security guards were deployed alongside law enforcement. Metal detectors will be used for thorough screening, and female search staff have also been assigned. Christmas church services will begin at 9am today (Wednesday).
Christian leaders, pastors and clergy have expressed satisfaction over the security arrangements in all small and big churches and Christian colonies in the twin cities.
Rawalpindi and Islamabad archbishop officials Babu Sajid and Rashid Chauhan, along with Pastor Asif, Pastor Qaiser and priest Elias Masih, said the police and civil administration had put in place exemplary security measures.
They added that the Christmas cake cutting ceremonies held in various institutions, ministries, police offices and government departments instilled renewed confidence and encouragement among the Christian community.
Special recreational arrangements have also been made at all amusement parks, including the installation of new rides. On Christmas Day, December 25, all leisure parks will remain open from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.
