Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu):
Thousands of pilgrims from several parts of the country and abroad thronged the Christian pilgrim town of Velankanni in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday to celebrate Christmas, which was marked by special masses and prayers.
On Christmas Eve, when the clock struck 12 at night, priests of the Church came in procession to announce the birth of Jesus. Little children carried candles and the Holy Bible with them.
After offering prayers in English and Tamil, the Parish Priest showed the idol of an infant Jesus marking the birth of Jesus.
The church authorities had put up a huge pandal, illuminated with lamps in the premises of Shrine Basillica to accommodate 30,000 pilgrims at a time, church sources said.
Similarly, hundreds of devotees participated in the special prayers at the New Jerusalem Church at Tarangambadi, built in 1718 and is the oldest Protestant church in Asia. PTI