Midnight mass at churches across West Bengal heralded Christmas today as people, Christians and non-Christians alike, celebrated the occasion with fervour.
The nip in the air and a bright sun provided the perfect backdrop for the revellers to visit the Alipore Zoo, Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, Nicco Park, Millennium Park and other hotspots.
Some chose to just spend their lazy afternoons in the vast green Maidan soaking in the Yuletide spirit.
Government and private buildings as well as street corners were illuminated and decorated with Christmas trees as colourful banners and festoons were strung across the length of Park Street, the hub of the festivities.
Special programmes, midnight mass, followed by day-long prayers at the city's century-old St Paul's Cathedral drew huge crowd, cutting across religious divides.
The Basilica of the Holy Rosary, commonly known as Bandel Church, and the Sacred Heart Church at Chandannagar, both in Hooghly district, saw a big footfall with individual artistes and gospel bands enthralling the crowd.
Melodies of traditional Christmas songs like 'Jingle Bells', 'Oh Holy Night' and 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town' wafted in the air as children danced and sang with their parents keeping a hawk eye on them.
Hectic last-minute shopping and night-long concerts marked the Christmas Eve while commercial hub of the city the New Market and shopping malls were crowded with people buying clothes, foodstuffs and other Christmas items.
Long queues were witnessed in front of prominent bakeries in the city selling "designer" cakes meant for the festival.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted people on the occasion an wished them Merry Christmas.
