From grand feasts and midnight masses to colourful decorations and regional delicacies, every part of the country adds its own flavour to the celebrations.
This blog takes you on a delightful journey to explore how Christmas is celebrated across India and the special festive dishes that make the season even more joyful.

Celebrating Christmas with a regional tinge

Let’s explore celebrations of Christmas across different regions of the country and discover how local culture adds more charm to the festival.

1. Goa

Cheerful and colourful: Christmas in Goa is an experience worth having. The streets become colourful with glowing lights and stars, grand midnight masses, parties, and many more. The small state takes on a completely different vibe.

Beach Parties: The beach parties, especially in North Goa, need a special mention. You can witness and enjoy grand parties with bonfires, music, and fireworks.

Recommended reading: Goa Gets Festive: Top Christmas Resorts & Homes For A Perfect Holiday

Treating your tongue with special Goan cuisine during Christmas:

• Bebinca: Bebinca, also known as the ‘Queen of Goan Desserts’, is a multi-layered cake made from coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar, and flour. It is an important sweet [also known as ‘kuswar’ locally] in all major events and festivals in Goa.

  

  Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

• Kulkuls, also known as kidyos, are small, crunchy dough curls with dusted sugar powder on them. Sometimes they are dipped in sugar syrup.
   
• Neureos: Neureos is deep-fried, crescent-shaped, sweet, stuffed with fillings of coconut, nuts, and jaggery.
   
• Fish Recheado: This offers a spicy treat for seafood lovers. The fish, usually mackerel or pomfret, is slit and stuffed with a spicy red paste called the ‘recheado masala’, and then fried.
   
• Sannas are soft, steamed rice cakes made using ground red rice and coconut. It will be fermented using toddy or yeast.
   
• Sorpotel is a spicy pork stew prepared with spices and vinegar. It is one of the main dishes served during Christmas celebrations in Goa.
   
• Vindalo is also a pork dish introduced by the Portuguese. It is a slow-cooked dish featuring a unique spice. Vindalo and sorpotel are the most preferred pork dishes by the Catholic families in Goa.

There are many more dishes to explore. These dishes discussed above are the main ones.

2. West Bengal - Kolkata

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Festivities in Park Street: The Christmas celebrations in Kolkata would be centred around Park Street. The street comes alive with colourful electric lights, Christmas trees, street celebrations, street vendors selling various products, and street food stalls.

The main highlight here is the lighting, which extends from St. Xavier’s College to the Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Further, on Christmas Eve, only pedestrians are allowed to enter the street.

Bengali-style greeting: People greet each other saying ‘subho borodin’ in Bengali, which translates to ‘Merry Christmas’.

Uniqueness in celebrations at Bow Barracks: Bow Barracks is renowned for its historic red-brick buildings, which are said to have been built during the First World War. Here, the Christmas celebrations are unique. The festivities begin on 23rd December and will last till 31st December.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

The festivities include a Christmas Ball, Santa Claus arriving in a rikshaw, a two-day floodlighting soccer event, etc. Don’t miss experiencing this if you are in Kolkata on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Made Special with an Armenian Touch: The Armenian community in Kolkata celebrates Christmas on January 6th. The main celebrations are centred at the Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth, located on Armenian Street. Coirs and well-decorated altars are the main features of the celebrations here.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Tastes from the Anglo-Indian tradition:

• Plum cake: It is a rich fruit cake filled with dry fruits, nuts, and rum. Some spices like cinnamon and cloves are also added to it.

  

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

• Nahoum & Sons is one of the oldest bakeries [about 100 years old], which is famous for its plum cakes. People stand in queues to buy plum cakes here.

• Marzipan: Here, the marzipan is prepared in Goan style. It is primarily made using cashew nuts, which are moulded into various shapes.

  

  Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

  Marzipan was initially introduced to India by the Portuguese, which later became a popular dish among the Anglo-Indian community in Kolkata and other Christian populations across different parts of the country.

• Rum Balls: It is usually made from crumbled or leftover fruit cakes. The rum, along with other ingredients, is added to crumbles to achieve a desired consistency and then shaped. Nahoum & Sons Bakery is again famous for this, too.

  

  Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

You can consider reading this article published on The Telegraph Online, written by Anjan Chatterjee [Chief of Speciality Restaurants]. It talks about the Christmas celebrations in Kolkata and also about the cakes.

3. Jharkhand - Ranchi

Enjoying Christmas in ‘desi’ style: In Jharkhand, Christmas celebrations are unique with a blend of traditional tribal customs, especially in the Ranchi region. They sing carols and dance to their traditional music instruments. One famous carol in their tribal language is “Chalo Re, Chalo Re Bethlehem”.

If you are interested in knowing more about the tribal way of celebrating Christmas [in Jharkhand], you can read this article published by The Indian Tribal.

Colourful Ranchi: Entire Ranchi becomes colourful with lights and Christmas markets. The churches, especially the G.E.L. and St. Paul’s Cathedral, are the new crowd pullers. The vibrant Christmas carnivals are hosted at prime locations like the Mall of Ranchi and the Jail Road. The entire scene is truly a feast for the eyes!

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Some dishes to taste during Christmas:

• Arsa is a traditional sweet ball made using rice flour, which is stuffed with jaggery. Sometimes, coconut is also added to it.
   

• Chilka Roti: Unlike the traditional roti made using wheat flour, chilka roti is made using rice batter with a mixture of channa dhal. Even the preparation of it is not like roti, but like dosa!

  

  Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

  Yes, the batter is poured on the pan like cooking dosa, and the texture of this too looks like dosa! Not just for Christmas, this dish is commonly served on all major special occasions.
  Recommended reading: If you are willing to know more about this dish and its preparation, you can consider reading this article by NDTV Food.

• Khajurs are a sweet, cookie-like, crunchy snack enjoyed during Christmas. The ingredients include wheat flour, sugar, and fennel seeds, which are deep-fried in oil or ghee.

4. North East India

With a significant size of the Christian population, the Christmas celebrations are grand in the North-Eastern states of the country. Carols, colourful lights, well-decorated churches, and community feasts are the main features of the celebrations here, same like in the other parts. Even non-Christians join the celebrations.

Recommended reading: You can consider reading this blog on ‘7 amazing places for Christmas holidays in India’. It highlights the celebrations and places to cover in North and North East India, like Shimla, Manali, Darjeeling, and so on.

5. Tamil Nadu - Kanyakumari

Now you have seen how colourful the celebrations are in the northern part of the country. Isn’t it curious to know how charming it is in the southern part? So let’s start from the southernmost tip of India, in Tamil Nadu!

Unique mid-sea celebrations: Kanyakumari celebrates the festival with the inclusion of the coastal element. Beyond the regular elements like carols, electric lights, carols, and markets, the festival here is made more special with feasts and mid-sea celebrations.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Historic churches in festive vibe: The celebrations in the city would be centred around the historic Our Lady of Ransom Church. This church is famous for its 10-day feast of the Lady of Ransom, which concludes with a golden chariot procession. Though it is not exactly a Christmas celebration, it falls during the Christmas season.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Nearby is St. Xavier’s Church, which is another important place for the celebrations. These churches are well-decorated.

Several tourists, as well as the locals, visit these churches to attend the special midnight mass.

6. Velankanni

Velankanni is just a locality in the district of Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. But the Christmas celebrations here need a special mention.

Velankanni Church: The celebrations here are centred around the ‘Basilica of Our Lady of Good’ Church, fondly called the ‘Velankanni Church’. It is one of the most significant churches in India for Roman Catholics. The church is renowned for the miracles experienced by the devotees after visiting here.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

On Christmas, the church, the nearby streets, and homes are decorated with electric lights and stars. Many tourists also visit the Church to attend the festivities there.

Explore more about Velankanni Church here.

Resort stays to experience a snowy Christmas in India

Snow Christmas in India! Yes, staying at resorts in places like Shimla, Mussoorie, etc. would allow you to experience it. Maybe not the same way as in Western countries, yet you can experience the snowy winter with a Christmas mood.

Try enjoying the festival in a snowy atmosphere by staying at resorts in Shimla, Mussoorie, or Manali.

Surprise your loved ones this Christmas with something special

Cakes, sweets, oh.. all the usual stuff! Platforms like Bag2Bag allow you to surprise your loved ones with a stay. Check the Bag2Bag Christmas Gift Cards.

Make the Christmas gift special and the most memorable using the Bag2Bag gift card! A nice way to strengthen your bonding!

Conclusion

You’ve now explored how differently Christmas is celebrated across India, with each region adding its own charm, colours, and traditions to the festive spirit. While you may not be able to visit them all, you can surely experience a few and add the rest to your travel bucket list.
And if you’re looking for a unique way to spread joy, surprise your loved ones with Bag2Bag Christmas Gift Cards this season!
May your travels be merry, your celebrations brighter, and your stays make you happier. Wishing you a joyful journey and a truly memorable Christmas!