Kathmandu, Dec. 25: The Christian community in Nepal is celebrating Christmas with fanfare throughout the county on Monday. 

The day is celebrated every year on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. The king of Rome Constantine started the celebration in 350 AD.

Non-Christians have also started celebrating the festival with a lot of zeal after Nepal was declared a secular state in 2007. Since then Christmas has been celebrated as one of the national festivals in Nepal.  

With the start of December, decorated Christmas trees started appearing in big shopping malls in the three cities of the Kathmandu Valley.

To mark the day, Christians visit churches and sing carols song, perform dances, exchange gifts and eat different delicious food items. 

Christmas is the festival of light and snow. Christians celebrate the day by decorating Christmas trees colourfully and giving gifts.  

The Christmas feasts comprises fish, roasted chicken, vegetables and other Nepali food along with Christmas pudding, pumpkin pies and others. 

On the occasion, the government has announced a public holiday.