Indian Kashmir's tiny Christian community Friday prayed for the return of peace to the revolt-hit region as Muslims joined them in festivities.
Overnight the region's tourism minister Rigzin Jora joined scores of Christians in a mass at a church in the ski resort of Gulmarg, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Kashmiri summer capital Srinagar.
"Everyone prayed for return of peace to our beautiful region," said Jora.
On Friday, hundreds of Muslims joined scores of Christians, including foreigners, Gulmarg as tourism authorities kicked off a three-day snow festival coinciding with the holiday.
"It is wonderful to be here," said Brijit Hamilton, who was enjoying skiing with her six-year old-son, Monty.
"Love to be on snow on this day. We are enjoying every moment," said Hamilton, as locals greeted them.
Hamilton's husband works in India's IT city of Bangalore.
"My husband and our second son and daughter are up in the higher reaches enjoying skiing," said Hamilton, who later enjoyed local music and dance.
Local sculptors were seen carving out reindeer, tortoises and pandas in the snow as onlookers cheered them on.
Young boys cycled on in the snow, while girls exhibited their skills at snow rugby and baseball. Others skied down the pistes all across the resort.
In Srinagar, a hotbed of separatist insurgency, several hundred Christians joined mass at the Holy Family Catholic church amid tight security.
"Most of us prayed for a return of peace to Kashmir," said Madan Mohan, at the end of the service.
Many Muslims came to the church to greet them.
"It was a great gesture on their part to come here. They hugged us and greeted us," said Alex Sawney, a young Kashmiri Christian.
The last census in 2001 puts the Christian community in Kashmir at 20,300, 0.2 percent of majority-Muslim Indian Kashmir's population of 10 million. One-third of the Himalayan province is administered by Pakistan, with three million people who are almost all Muslim.
Indian Kashmir's Christian community is mostly in Srinagar. Unlike Kashmir's Sikh and Hindu minorities, Christians have not been targeted in the violence in the region.
Nearly a dozen Islamic militant groups are fighting to end Indian rule in Kashmir. The violence has left more than 47,000 people dead since 1989, or twice that according to separatists.
Copyright 2009  AFP South Asian Edition
