Warm Kolkata offers glowing welcome to Baby Jesus

Kolkata, Dec 24 (UNI) Thousands of miles away from Bethlemhem, Kolkata is all set to celebrate the ''big day'' wih joy and merriment.

The Christmas trees are all decorated and well lit up, ready to welcome Father Nicholas, whom we fondly call Santa Claus, to climb down the chimney tonight and gently set down his bag of gifts for Mama, Papa and the kids.

But, will the Kolkatans go to sleep and wait for the little gifts to appear in their little socks and bigger ones to appear near their tree? Or will they go partying to the nearest discotheques? Interestingly, most discothques tonight will have people, irrespective of religion, more so because there would be more non-Christians than Christians. While most Chrsitians in the city are spending the night attending midnight mass and celebrating with close friends and relatives, everyone else is visiting the discos and louge bars ready to party hard all night.

In the central part of the city, where most christians reside, houses and churches are well lit with Christmas carols playing and people dressed in their best to celebrate the night when Jesus Christ was born.

Meanwhile, in a few other big churches in south Kolkata, the carol singers also seem ready in their choir costumes to welcome more people to churches tonight.

UNI