Thiruvananthapuram was immersed in the Christmas spirit on December 25 with churches holding midnight masses and special prayers to mark the occasion and public and commercial spaces being decked up with sparkling lights and Christmas trees to greet revelers.
The Kanakakunnu Palace grounds, illuminated with decorative lights from Sunday evening for the Christmas-New Year season, is expected to draw huge crowds in the days ahead.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, in a Christmas day message, expressed the hope that, “May the celebration of Christmas enrich our unity and social accord through empathy, generosity and fraternity.” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan also greeted the people on the occasion.
The important message of Christmas is that God is with us in these times when there is a growing tendency to discriminate against people in the name of caste and community, Archbishop Thomas J. Netto of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram said, presiding over the Midnight Mass at the St Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Palayam. “Jesus was born into this world not for the believers of any particular religion, but for all humankind. His message embraces all,” he said.
Churches across the district held midnight masses, formally opening the Christmas day celebrations. Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church, presided over the mass held at the St Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom. Archbishop Thomas J. Netto led the celebrations of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram at the St Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Palayam.
Mar Thomas Tharayil, Auxiliary Bishop, Changanassery Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, presided over the liturgical ceremony at the Lourdes Forane Church at PMG Junction. Churches of the CSI Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church in the district also held Christmas masses and programmes to celebrate the occasion.Many senior politicians also visited churches on Christmas eve and Monday morning to greet the faithful and take part in the festivities. Shashi Tharoor MP tweeted that he had attended the services at churches of various Christian congregations including the Lourdes Forane Church, PMG, St Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom, and the St Joseph’s Cathedral, Palayam.
BJP leaders also visited churches and interacted with the faithful as part of Sneha Yatra launched by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in connection with the Christmas and New Year festival season. BJP district president V. V. Rajesh visited the CSI Church at Olathanni and greeted the Church leadership and the faithful.
