Christmas in India. Come learn about Indian customs, decorations, and Christmas cuisine with us

How do they celebrate Christmas in India?

Who brings gifts to Indians?

Do they bake sweets or another traditional dish like we do?

India is an entirely different country from ours. Learn about its customs, traditions, and cuisine with us.

Perhaps you will also find exciting inspiration here to make your Christmas memorable.

Let’s take a look at Indian Christmas!

When is Christmas celebrated in India?

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 in India.

Only 2.3% of India’s total population are Christians, so Christmas is a minor holiday for them. You think 2.3% is not enough? India has a population of 1 billion, so 25 million Indians celebrate Indian Christmas, which is a lot by our standards.

Mumbai and the state of Goa are the cradles of the Christian faith. In the tiny state of Goa, 26% of the population are Christians, and many of the Christians in Mumbai come from this state.

What customs and traditions do Indians have for Christmas?

In India, Christmas preparations are made a month before Christmas Day. Houses are cleaned and decorated.

The most awaited event of Indian Christmas is the Midnight Mass. The whole family participates in the mass. The Indians exchange gifts after the mass, and many of their typical goodies are included. They usually have curry dishes and sweets, the most famous of which is the plum cake.

Mango leaves are a traditional Christmas decoration. In India, they are considered sacred, so they are only used for decoration during festive events.

Who brings Christmas presents in India?

Father Christmas brings Christmas presents on Christmas Day. He is called various in India, such as Christmas Baba, Thatha, or Nathal Bua. Like Santa Claus, he has a carriage pulled by horses (as opposed to reindeer).

What are the Christmas decorations in India?

As a rule, Indians do not buy a Christmas tree. They will decorate any tree or bush they have at home. Most often, it is a banana or mango tree.

Some families buy an artificial conifer tree. It is decorated with various Indian ornaments and white wool that imitates snow.

Indians use mango and banana leaves to decorate the interior and doors of the house at Christmas. They hang them together to form a decorative chain.

They also hang decorations made of mango leaves and Africans on the door. They wrap several mango leaves in African cloth and hang them behind them on a string. This decoration is called Toran.

Various oil and electric lamps and paper lanterns are used in India as additional decorations. Churches also decorate tables and windows with lamps to create a Christmas atmosphere.

Similar to us, poinsettia is a popular plant in India. This plant decorates many churches at midnight mass.

Indians are also fond of nativity scenes. They create them both at home and outside in the garden. They decorate them with large sculptures, sand, stones, and various plants. Sometimes, competitions are held to see who has the prettiest nativity scene. The baby Jesus statue will not be added until Christmas Day.

What Christmas dishes are prepared in India

There are many variations on typical dishes in India. Everyone has their family recipe.

Various curries, sweet breads, and sweets are very popular. Some are similar to our candy.

They like banana chips, Neureos – fried pastries filled with dried fruit and coconut, Dodol – caramel candy with coconut and cashews, and Kidiyo – fried donuts covered in sugar.

In India, there is also Christmas pudding, Kheer. It is mainly made from rice, vermicelli noodles, or oatmeal and is often cooked from rice.

Come and have a look at the Indian sweet recipe – Dodol. You can make your traditional Christmas cookies unique!

Dodol

Ingredients

for 9-10 pcs you will need:

• 1.5 cups of coconut milk
• 1.5 cups of rice flour
• 1 cup palm sugar
• half a cup of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of rice

Method

• Fry the rice in a deep pan until lightly browned. Set aside and let cool. Then, blend the rice into a powder.
• Put sugars, water, coconut milk, and rice flour in a pan. Slowly cook the mixture and stir until it thickens.
• Add the ground rice to the mixture and cook it for about 1 hour on a low flame.
• Once the consistency of the mixture is about as thick as caramel, pour it into a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Leave to cool
• Before serving, cut the Dodol into smaller cubes. The candy is very sweet, so it is recommended that a cup of black tea be prepared for it.

Christmas is celebrated in various ways around the world. Learning about different cultures’ traditions and gaining inspiration from them can be fascinating!