Christians are a small minority in India, but Christmas here is bigger than most visitors expect. It is a national holiday, churches overflow at midnight, bakeries sell out of fruitcake, and in some cities whole streets are hung with lights. If you are volunteering in December, here is where to celebrate, close to home or further afield.
Still deciding whether to come over the holidays? Read our reasons to volunteer in India at Christmas.
Delhi: churches and festive markets
You don’t have to travel at all. The Sacred Heart Cathedral, Delhi’s Catholic cathedral near Gole Market, is the city’s focal point on Christmas Eve, and crowds gather for hours before the midnight service, so arrive early. For something quieter, try St. James’ Church at Kashmere Gate, completed in 1836 and one of the oldest churches in the city.
Connaught Place and Khan Market put up lights and trees, and on Christmas Day you can gather the other volunteers from the hostel for a long lunch and swap traditions from home.
Goa: stars, cribs and Midnight Mass
Goa was ruled by Portugal for more than 450 years, and its Catholic traditions run deep. Paper star lanterns hang outside homes, families build nativity scenes, and Midnight Mass fills churches from the hilltop Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Panaji to the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. Look out for homemade Christmas sweets such as bebinca, a layered coconut pudding. Goa is about two and a half hours from Delhi by air, and December is peak season, so book early.
Kolkata: Park Street
Kolkata, the capital of British India until 1911, has celebrated Christmas in style for generations. In the last weeks of December, Park Street is lit from end to end, and Allen Park hosts the Kolkata Christmas Festival with choirs, bands and food stalls. St. Paul’s Cathedral holds a midnight service, and the old bakeries sell fruitcake by the box.
Shillong: carols in the hills
In Meghalaya, in India’s northeast, most people are Christian, and Christmas is the high point of the year. Shillong’s streets and churches glow with lights, choirs sing carols, and the blue-fronted Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians is packed on Christmas Eve. Fly to Guwahati in Assam, then it is about three hours by road. December nights are cold, so pack warm layers.
Fort Kochi: Christmas into New Year
In Kerala, the old port of Fort Kochi is home to St. Francis Church, built by the Portuguese in 1503 and thought to be the oldest European church in India; Vasco da Gama was first buried there. Lanes are hung with stars at Christmas, and the Cochin Carnival in late December ends on New Year’s Eve, when a giant effigy of Pappanji, an old man who stands for the passing year, is set alight at midnight.
Puducherry: a French-flavored Christmas
The old French quarter of Puducherry, on the coast of Tamil Nadu, has some of India’s most striking churches, including the Gothic Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Church of Our Lady of Angels. Midnight Mass, mustard-yellow villas and a seafront promenade make for a calm Christmas. Fly to Chennai, then it is about three hours down the coast.
Before you go
- Christmas Day is a public holiday, so check with your coordinator which days your project is closed.
- Late December is one of the busiest times to travel in India. Book trains, flights and hotels well ahead.
- Fog often delays trains and flights in north India in December and January, so leave some slack in your plans.
- Tell your coordinator where you are going and when you will be back.
Thinking of spending Christmas in India? See our programs and start dates, or email info@volunteeringindia.com.