A banana plant instead of a Christmas tree. Even though Christians in India are a religious minority: millions of people celebrate Christmas exuberantly in the gigantic country, which is surpassed only by China in terms of population. So Christmas isn't necessarily a foreign concept to the rest of the Indian population, either. Midnight Mass in the churches exists there just as much as decorated houses and a very own version of a Christmas tree.
This is how Christmas is celebrated in India
Yes, Christmas is celebrated in India. Easter, too. Just for comparison: about 2.3 percent of the Indian population is Christian. A minority. In Germany, on the other hand, it's more than 50 percent, Roman Catholic and Protestant churches combined, and thus a good half. Given a total population of more than 1.3 billion people in India, the number of Christians in the two countries isn't actually that far apart. While nearly 50 million people in Germany profess Christianity and thus mostly also celebrate Christmas, in the second most populous country on earth it's a respectable nearly 30 million.
No wonder, then, that Christmas is celebrated in India, too. Not only by Christians, though - the Indian Christmas, including Santa Claus, is also shaped by the consumer-oriented, American model. In Hindi, Indians even call the holiday 'the big day' ('bada din') - Christmas is a legal and thus official holiday in India. So not only Christians celebrate, and some schools have Christmas vacation in December, above all Christian mission schools, of course.
Merry Christmas in an Indian language: Shubh Naya Baras!
At a glance
- Christmas is celebrated exuberantly in India
- Palms, mango trees, or banana plants are decorated
- Midnight Mass is a firm part of the celebration
- Decorate, give, celebrate - Christmas traditions in India
Basically, Indian and German Christmas are very similar: even in the pre-Christmas season, Indian Christians decorate their houses. Instead of an Advent wreath on the front door, Indians decorate their houses with adorned mango leaves. Colorful strings of lights are also a common sight. Far more spectacular, though, is the custom of placing clay oil lamps on flat roofs, walls, or windowsills to light up the night. This custom is inspired by the Indian festival of lights, Diwali. Let's come to the topic of the Christmas tree: spruce fans have to be strong, because spruces are just as hard to find in India as firs. Instead, palms, mango trees, or banana plants have to stand in. Naturally, these are decorated and staged in colorful, shimmering ways, too. Quite a sight!
Family naturally plays just as big a role in the Christian families. So it's customary to visit the local church's Midnight Mass together with relatives and not only listen to a contemplative sermon but, above all, to sing. Songs are a firm part of the hours-long Midnight Masses. It's similar at home: there people not only sing but dance extensively. What can't be missing from all this? That's right, gifts. As a rule, the children receive them, but there's a special custom that's probably entirely unknown over here: if the family members give the head of the family a lemon, that counts as a symbol of reverence and gratitude.
