Jamshedpur, Dec. 25: The steel city has a new guest this Christmas.A 5ft statue of Mother Mary was brought from Mexico and installed at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Telco earlier this month by sisters of the church.

“The parish is named after Mother Mary’s particular form and her vision has given birth to this Church,” said Father George Manarakan, the vicar-general of the diocese, while explaining the need for the statue.

Meanwhile, lots of fun and revelry heralded in Christmas in the steel city this year.At St Joseph’s Cathedral in Golmuri, a golden jubilee memorial tower was inaugurated on the parish premises to commemorate 50 years of the church in the city. Inaugurated by Bishop Felix Toppo, a Christmas gathering cutting across all communities, was held this evening.

At the St Joseph’s Welfare Centre in Golmuri, a carol-singing competition rang in Christmas during an hour-long programme held last night, followed by the mass held at the stroke of midnight across all 43 parishes in the city.

“The mood of Christmas sets in once the choir starts singing carols,” said Father Amantus Kujur, the chief priest of the diocese.

A “Christmas Milan” also saw political leaders and bigwigs coming together to share ideas in a festive mood.

While tradition held sway at the city parishes, the clubs and premier hotels joined in with celebrations of their own.

At Hotel Regent, Loyola School students under the band name of the Army of Darkness took centrestage at kids’ carnival held on the rooftop for the entire day.

Nicco Jubilee Park Limited inside the Jubilee Park premises, too, boasted of a children’s fair.

Here, organisers tried to allow children an opportunity for “quality shopping” by lining up reputed brands.

Also in place for the little ones was an Iceland, a fun place for children to hang out during festivals.

Hotel Ganga Regency, too, lined up a mega children’s programme today by offering Chinese cuisine.

About 50 children got together to celebrate Christmas amid games, magic shows and a dance competition at the hotel.

Keeping the real spirit of Christmas alive were quite a few organisations, including the Alliance for Women Empowerment and Child Survival.

Members of the organisation also took time out to visit the lesser privileged at Nirmal Shishu Bhavan, Baradwari, to distribute clothes and gifts among children at the home.