Nepal celebrates its first Christmas

Nepal celebrated its first Christmas ever in its long history after being declared a federal republic on December 28, 2007.

The Hindu nation had its first church just 50 years ago, even while the monarchial rule was in progress. Today overall, there are over 200 churches and at least 400,000 Christians.

The Christmas celebration was marked with great gaiety and merriment even as the government declared a public holiday on Dec. 25.

Given that only 0.5 % of the population is Christian, Nepal declaring Christmas a national holiday came as a positive sign to many.

"We are very happy that the government has declared Christmas as a public holiday. This year we will pray for the peace and happiness of Nepali people as we set our foot on a new Nepal," Binod Gurung, president of Nepal Catholic Society, said.

Nepal President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal joined other patronages in wishing Nepali Christians on Christmas.

In a statement issued by the President's Office on Thursday, President Yadav expressed his wish to create peaceful, prosperous and progressive Nepal following the path showed by Jesus Christ.

And PM Dahal hoped that people all over the world will be inspired on developing humanity, brotherhood, sympathy and secularism for the betterment of the people.

During the Yuletide celebration, the poor, underprivileged and jail prisoners were more advantaged as the teachings of Christ and his birth came more applying to them.

"We have started singing carols and are reading aloud from the Bible," Bichhe Tamang, a Nepali prisoner serving a 10-year term in Kathmandu's Central Jail told IANS.

"I had come to visit somebody in Kathmandu when police raided his house and he fled," says Tamang. "The cops found me and the drugs in the same room and I was charged as an accomplice."

Another jail inmate, Sunil Darshandhari, was arrested for being involved in a gang fight that led to a death.

During his stay in Central Jail, he came in contact with Christian inmates and later became a believer. Although he has been transferred to another prison in Lalitpur district, he has started a gospel association inside.

Interestingly, Nepal got its New Testament translated into Nepali by William Carey in 1821 and the whole bible into Nepali only in 1914.

Although the Constitution of Nepal renders religious freedom, yet proselytism is still illegal. There have also been reports of persecution on Christians, sometimes foreign missionaries being expelled for allegedly indulging in conversions.