Prayer for health, peace & well-being a perfect start to a new year for many
Times of India | 2 January 2026
Kolkata: Devotees across faiths ushered in the new year with prayers and sermons, braving the early morning chill on Thursday to visit places of worship across Kolkata. For a large section, beginning the year with special prayers is an annual tradition. Families, including elderly and young children, visited religious shrines early in the morning, sometimes having to wait in long queues, to seek blessings for good health, peace and well-being in the months ahead.
The administrations at major religious sites made special arrangements to manage the crowds and ensure smooth movement. Barricades, volunteers and traffic personnel helped regulate queues and vehicles, allowing devotees to offer prayers without disruption.
Churches across the city scheduled special prayer services in the early hours of the day. Despite the cold, worshippers arrived in large numbers, some as early as 7.30 am and 8 am, to attend the New Year services.
At the Old Mission Church on R N Mukherjee Road, a large congregation attended the morning service.
"We had a special service in the morning. Devotees were present in large numbers. There was a prayer for the well-being of everybody, and peace and harmony in the new year," a church official said.
A few metres away, St Andrew's Church also witnessed a big turnout. Father Swarup Bar, addressing the congregation, called for divine guidance to comfort the marginalised across the world, and invoked blessings of peace and prosperity for every home, "from the grand mansions to the humblest dwellings".
Prayer services in other churches, including Duff Church in Manicktala, St Mary's on Elgin Road, St Teresa in Entally, and others, reflected on gratitude for the year gone by and hope for the future, urging people to move forward with compassion, unity and faith.
Temples, too, saw long queues from early morning. At Kalighat and Dakshineswar temples, devotees lined up patiently in the cold, many travelling from neighbouring districts. Several families headed straight to the temples from nearby railway stations. "We come to Kolkata every year on Jan 1. Our first destination is the Kalighat temple. After offering prayers, we take the children to other places in the city, like Victoria Memorial, Alipore zoo, and New Market," said Bidisha Nag, who travelled with her family from Ashoknagar in North 24 Parganas.
The scenes were similar at dargahs and gurdwaras across the city, where worshippers offered prayers for peace and prosperity. Elderly devotees, some supported by family members, and children wrapped in warm clothes were a common sight.