The following is the text of the Mayor’s message:

“Today, we celebrate the most significant and joyous day in the Christian Calendar. A Happy Christmas to you and your entire family circle.

Since the latter half of the 4th century, the 12-day period from Christmas to Epiphany was considered of great significance. Certainly as a youngster, this 12-day period was considered as integral to the Christmas season.

The Epiphany was associated with the adoration of the Magi to the infant Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12) as anticipation for the universal redemption of Christ in his "Manifestation to the Gentiles."

Celebration of 12th night seems to be waning in some areas. Be that as it may, Guyanese will celebrate the birth of Jesus in the traditional way.

Happily, this most popular of our national festivals is also celebrated with equal gusto by non-Christians simply because this season combines many strands of traditions, and our culture.

We welcome home our relatives and friends who have come to share the uniqueness of a Guyanese Christmas.

Fortunately, at this time, most of our social barriers seem to disappear, allowing Guyanese to blend into a delightful harmony of love and togetherness -- two essential virtues necessary for sustained growth, development and the integrity of our nation state.

I hope and pray that we would seek to make this neighbourliness and unity the foundations upon which we can build a Great and Good Guyana.

This of course, requires a deep sense of commitment by all of us. To secure this, we need to pursue the imperatives of a moral and spiritual revival. It is the only way we can improve the social economic and political conditions within our society.

World Leaders and, in particular, our national leaders, need to be the catalyst for peace and prosperity. This must go well beyond the brevity of this Christmas season.

As we celebrate, let us be pray and work assiduously for the total restoration of Georgetown and the progress of Guyana.

Negative attitudes to family, the home, the work place, the environment and the state, are inconsistent if we seek to follow the teachings and philosophies found in all our religions.

Christmas ought to remind us of God's great love and that his love is pure and absolute.

As we see the radiance of lights on our buildings and trees, let us too shine bright, sending forth a positive expression of love, affection and the manifestation of virtuous thoughts, for our leaders, neighbours, family and friends.