Churches, Buildings Lit Up In Gujarat For Christmas; People Greet Each Other, Exchange Gifts

Members of the Christian community offered prayers and attended midnight masses across Gujarat to celebrate the Christmas festival as churches, malls, and other buildings were illuminated with colourful lights to mark the celebration.
        
A large number of people came out to greet each other and many visited the homes of their relatives and friends and exchanged gifts as part of the celebrations which began late Saturday night and continued on Sunday. 
       
People wearing new clothes, some even dressed up in winter attire due to a drop in temperatures in parts of the state, gathered in churches for the midnight masses.
        
Churches, malls, other buildings, and houses were decorated with lights, colourful festoons, and Christmas trees in Ahmedabad and other places.
        
Apart from Christians, people from other communities also took part in the celebrations at public places in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and other cities.
        
People dressed up as Santa Claus was seen greeting visitors at various malls, gardens, and churches in some cities.
        
In 2020, the celebration was held in a subdued manner due to the Covid-19 pandemic and last year also, the viral infection threat loomed over the festival.
        
This time, people did not miss a chance to have a grand celebration.
        
There has been a surge in Covid-19 cases in some countries.
        
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said RT-PCR test for the detection of COVID-19 would be made mandatory for passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand for their travel to India.