Christmas was celebrated with religious enthusiasm and gaiety in the Kashmir Valley on Sunday inspite of the freezing cold temperature.
The main function was held at Catholic Church on Maulana Azad Road in Srinagar, where a large number of Christians, including women and children, attended mass. The church was decorated with colorful buntings, balloons and also illuminated.
Communal harmony was also on display with a group of Muslims joining their Christian brethren at the church to celebrate the festival in the right spirit. Muslims distributed sweets, exchanged greetings and also wore Santa hats to share the joy that the festival brings.
Maulana Abdullah told mediapersons that Muslims had come to the church to celebrate the festival to spread the message of communal harmony, brotherhood and peace.
“This is a small community here and they should not feel isolated on such festive occasions”, he added.
He further said that some “some vested interests have been spreading fake narratives across the world that minorities were not safe here, which is not true.”
“We came here today to bust that narrative and wanted to show the world that we are one and we belong to one god as well, regardless of our religions,” he added.
Father Brito said, "Christmas is a message of love, joy and happiness. Our Muslim brothers have always stood by us on these occasions and Christmas is an occasion which gives us an opportunity to share that joy, happiness and brotherhood with each other.”
Reports of Christmas celebrations were also received from various parts of the valley, including in Baramulla and Gulmarg.