Creative Travel I A family story since 1977

Christmas — 25th December

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Christianity arrived in India long before colonial rule. According to tradition, St. Thomas the Apostle landed on the Malabar Coast in 52 CE, establishing the foundations of what became the Saint Thomas Christian community in Kerala. Portuguese missionaries arrived in Goa in the 16th century, followed by British influence that spread Christmas celebrations to cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai.

Known warmly as Bada Din, meaning the Big Day, Christmas in India has been shaped by centuries of local tradition rather than simply borrowed from the West.
Today, it is celebrated with remarkable regional character. In Goa, star-shaped paper lanterns hang between houses, midnight mass spills into the early hours, and tables overflow with bebinca and neureos. In Kerala, homes are lit with stars, and families gather for appam and stew after church.

In Nagaland and Mizoram, where Christianity runs deep, the celebrations are some of the most joyful in the country, filled with gospel music, community feasts, and warmth that is hard to describe. Sri Lanka marks the day as a public holiday, with churches illuminated and festivities that bring communities together across faiths.

For visitors, an Indian Christmas feels like nothing else– familiar in spirit, but entirely its own.