Christmas celebrated---

Christmas, the greatest religious festival of the Christian community, was celebrated on Monday in all the churches and Christian hamlets in the country with traditional zeal and religious fervour, report agencies.
To mark the festival, all the churches were decorated with colourful balloons, flowers and Christmas trees illuminated with colorful lights.
At the heart of Christmas celebrations in Bangladesh is the spirit of rebirth, new beginnings, forgiveness, and peace.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin urged everyone to work for the welfare of the country and its people irrespective of religion and caste.
Religion is a matter of perception, not of argument, he said.
He was speaking at a reception programme for the Christian community members held at the Gallery Hall of Bangabhaban marking the Christmas Day.
The president and his spouse Dr Rebeka Sultana hosted the reception.
The Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration.
The president said, "Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's dream was to build a non-communal Bangladesh.
His daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now working to fulfill his dream with a vision to build a happy, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh."
Noting that Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony, he said people of all religions have been practicing their religions and rituals freely in this country since long.