Special Christmas prayers for peace in northeast

Guwahati. Hundreds of thousands of Christians in India's northeast held special prayers on Christmas Sunday in churches across the region for peace and wellbeing of the human race.Church bells echoed across the region and people thronged churches to join in festive prayers and songs in celebration of Jesus Christ's birth.'This is the day when people tend to forgive and forget everything and simply rejoice. This is also the day when people pray for peace and prosperity of the state, the nation, and for the entire human race at large,' said Thomas Menamparampil, Archbishop of Assam state.

Worshippers across the region lit candles, sang carols and organised festive feasts.'We had a small Christmas breakfast for the less fortunate, the homeless, distressed and lonely, for whom the festive season would otherwise be miserable,' said Marie Lyngdoh, a housewife in Meghalaya capital Shillong.Christmas across the eight northeastern states of over 40 million people has always been different from the rest of the country with people from all faiths joining the celebrations, thereby strengthening the bond of mutual respect.

The states of Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Nagaland are predominantly Christian'We always make it a point to visit our Christian friends on Christmas. We also join them in the festivities,' said Gauram Bora, a student in Assam's main city of Guwahati.Christmas was also celebrated with gusto at camps of separatist guerrilla groups in the region - the northeast is home to 30-odd rebel armies.

'We prayed for peace. Our cadres had a hearty Christmas eve dinner and they all were in very jubilant mood,' said a senior leader of a Naga separatist group.Almost all the churches in the region held special peace prayers with the northeast ravaged by decades of violent insurgency. 'People cannot rejoice unless there is peace. We hope our prayers are answered. We want an end to all forms of bloodshed and killings,' said A. Ao, a Baptist church leader in Nagaland's capital Kohima.