Christmas
Also known as: Bada Din
A star, a manger, a midnight mass — and India’s own carols, cribs and kuswar.
Why is Christmas celebrated?
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ — God arriving not in a palace but a manger, announced to shepherds before kings. Its Indian name, Bada Din ("the big day"), captures how the festival has grown beyond the church: for millions of non-Christian Indians too, it is the year-end feast of lights, giving and goodwill.
The story behind Christmas
Joseph and Mary, travelling to Bethlehem for a census, found no room at the inn; Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger. A new star led shepherds and, later, three wise men from the East bearing gold, frankincense and myrrh. The crib (nativity scene) every church and home builds retells this in miniature.
How Christmas is celebrated
Advent leads to midnight mass on Christmas Eve — churches overflowing, carols in every tongue; homes hang stars and set up cribs and trees; cakes are exchanged (fruit cake soaked weeks ahead), children await gifts, and the day is family feast and open house.
Christmas across India
Goa’s midnight masses and star-lit villages; Kerala’s carol rounds and appam-stew breakfasts; Mangalore’s kuswar sweet platters; Shillong and the Northeast, where community singing fills December; Kolkata’s Park Street lights draw the whole city regardless of faith.
Christmas in housing societies
Societies string lights on the compound tree, host a carols-and-cake evening (children’s choir + Santa with a gift sack = guaranteed success), and run a Secret Santa across flats. It is one of the easiest all-faith events on the calendar — bake orders, décor and gifts, all cleanly covered by a small December drive.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Christmas called "Bada Din" in India?
"The big day" — north-Indian usage from colonial times that stuck because the festival grew into a shared year-end celebration far beyond the Christian community.
What is a crib or nativity scene?
A model of the Bethlehem stable — Mary, Joseph, the infant in the manger, shepherds, animals and the star — built in churches and homes through Advent.
What does a society Christmas evening need?
Lights on one good tree, a carols hour (invite the children’s choir), cake and hot chocolate counters, and a Santa gift round — modest budget, maximum warmth.