People outside the Our Lady of the Rosary church after a Christmas mass yesterday.
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Thousands of faithful attended masses and services yesterday to celebrate Christmas, a very important day for the Christian community.
Since it opened four years ago, the Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic church in Mesaimeer religious complex has been witnessing many people hearing masses regularly but the Christmas masses which started since early Monday morning saw more attendees who give much attention as a way to start the celebration.
The series of masses were delivered in various languages including English, Italian, French, Filipino, Arabic, Konkani, Malayalam, Tamil, Urdu and Sinhala to cater to the multi-cultural community of Catholics in the country. Other denominations in the religious complex also held their own services for the faithful who came all the way from Dukhan, Al Khor and other faraway places just to join in the Christmas celebration.
For the Catholics, hearing mass especially during Christmas Eve is a vital part of their tradition and is considered an obligation which serves as the highlight of the entire festivities.
After hearing mass, people went back to their homes partaking lavish dishes including traditional ones with friends and families. They also enjoyed games and gift giving which plays a significant part of the celebration. In fact, malls and hypermarkets yesterday saw very busy gift wrapping sections with customers doing last-minute shopping for gifts to give away to close friends, godchildren and relatives.
While malls were a popular destination for Christmas revellers, some who could afford more thronged to restaurants in hotels who prepared special promotions for the special day. With their Christmas trees, gingerbread houses and other Christmas decorations, the hotels wore a festive mood giving their customers an authentic feel of the celebration away from their home countries.
Telecom operators and Internet cafes also cashed in with the occasion as many people tried to connect with their loved ones in their home countries sending season’s greetings during the day.
This year also observed more stores selling Christmas trees and decorative items which also witnessed brisk sales even before the month of December.
The Peninsula
