Christmas Celebrations Begin With Advent Sunday

Hyderabad: Marking the commencement of Advent season on Sunday, candles were lit on the first of four Sundays before Christmas. The fifth candle will be lit on the day of the festival. Advent season is a preparatory to welcoming Jesus Christ on his birth.

All churches in the city had high attendance on Sunday and several churches organised special programmes while carol singing commemorated the services.
The formal start to the Advent began at the 160-year-old Anglican St. George’s Church where the first candle was lit during the morning service by Dr P. Solomon Raj, presbyter in-charge.

He recited from the pulpit, “Mary (mother of Jesus) meeting with Elizabeth, joyful expectation of Christ’s coming.” He added, “Christmas activities have started from this day onwards. The church is decorated with the Christmas crib set and the Christmas tree.”

The recently renovated Christ Church at Ramkote, which was dedicated in 1869 and is the oldest Tamil church in the city, had the Advent Sunday with Rev. Sathia Joseph, [resbyter in-charge conducting the service. Rev. Dr Sucheel Pakyanadhan, choir master, rendered the ‘festival of nine lessons and carols.’ According to Peter H Jayakumar, senior member of the church, “around 220 families attend the Tamil services.”

At St. Theresa’s Church at Erragadda, parishioner Jaya Mary said, “The church had an advent Sunday, with carols and the message of Christmas.”

Meanwhile, James Samuel, secretary of St. John the Baptist church, East Marredpally, said “To mark the advent season, the church distributed uniform shoes and gifts to children from the Wesley girls hostel, who were also provided lunch.”