Top 5 Places in India to Celebrate Christmas

Winter is coming and so is the most awaited time of the year- Christmas. It is that time of the year when not only children look forward to presents from Santa Claus but elders too can’t wait to party hard.

The chill in the air and the festivities just make it the perfect time to party. Though celebrations in India are not as great as that of the Western countries where Christmas is their main festival, yet there are tons of places in our country where you can have the best possible Christmas celebrations.

In the following cities of India, you can witness the zeal and pomp of Christmas that actually adds an interesting element to India’s multicultural heritage.

The chilly climate, the smell of cakes and good food and the Christmas lights all around provide a remarkable charm which all Indians wait for each year.

Check out this list and make sure you are at one of these happening places this year to have an experience of a lifetime.

Goa

The name of Goa is immediately associated with the most exotic parties in the country and when it’s Christmas time, Goa is almost a haven for partygoers.

There isn’t anything that a Christmas holiday in Goa can’t offer you. Right from melodious carols being sung in beautifully decorated churches, midnight masses to all night long beach parties, Goa serves you everything on a platter.

The Catholics and Portuguese descendants of Goa make sure Christmas here is celebrated with enough pomp and show.

The entire city gets decked up with flowers and lights and it looks like a dream. Anjuna beach, Candolim beach, and others are widely decorated to enliven the party scene.

Ditch the nightclubs if you are in Goa and try these fantastic beach parties that go on all night long. There are bands playing live while the line of restaurants and even shacks offer you plenty of Christmas dinner and wine.

Kolkata

Kolkata, the City of Joy gets mad during the Christmas season. Though the main festival of Bengal is known to be Durga Puja, Christmas has its own charming appeal for the people of the city and the crowd in Kolkata celebrating Christmas is one to watch out for.

The entire city gets decked up in fascinating lights and specific stretches like Park Street is the quintessential place for partying with a line of restaurants and pubs offering the best of services and high discounts to the Christmas crowd.

The zeal and extravagance can just be felt in the air of Kolkata. Age old traditional bakeries like Flury’s and Nahoum’s in Kolkata offer Christmas cakes and breakfasts which are simply a delight. The air around is pleasant with the smell of freshly baked fruit cakes and pastries.

All the major clubs to get all ready for rock concerts and live bands playing to welcome the crowd that likes to party hard until the morning.

Christmas indeed gets merrier with the sweet carols and midnight mass held in the churches. Feel the warmth of the festive season in this city as you mix with hundreds of others amidst the well-lit Park Street or the lanes of the Bow Barracks, the part of the city which is home to the Anglo-Indian community.

Puducherry

The reason why India sees a lot of Christmas celebrations taking place is that of the strong British, French and Portuguese influences during the colonial period.

One of such places is Puducherry, a former French colony which still boasts of churches and French establishments. Here you can enjoy your Christmas celebrations and yet feel the peace associated with the purity of the occasion.

The Roman Catholic crowd at Puducherry celebrates Christmas in their own unique and traditional way. The carols sung at the churches galore fill the ambience with peace and holiness.

If you are visiting Puducherry it goes without saying that you must witness the church service at one of the famous churches like The Church of Our Lady of Angels, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, etc.

Kerala

The Christian community of Kerala makes sure that the state celebrates Christmas with exuberance. With an array of churches all over the state, it is one of the best places in India to have a peaceful and yet exuberant Christmas. The streets, as well as the churches, are marvellously decorated to spark off the celebrations.

The gorgeous landscape, beaches, and backwaters of Kerala provide a fantastic backdrop to the serene Christmas celebrations of the state. Plan a holiday to Kerala in Christmas to get the best of the festive charm. The local touch is given to the festival surely makes the festival warmer.

Manali

Have you always been fascinated by Christmas being celebrated in a pristine white landscape of snowfall? Books, television series and films have made us dream more than often of celebrating a perfect Christmas amidst snowfall.

India, the land of diversity, offers you that opportunity to fulfil your dreams without having to visit any of the western countries. Yes, you heard that right. Celebrate white Christmas in India in the popular destination of Manali.

This is one place where Christmas is celebrated in a landscape of real snowfall. The Himalayan city of Manali warms the chilly air with Christmas festivities while the roads are whitened by incessant snowfall.

The Christmas picture at Manali resembles nothing less than a fairy-tale and is the ideal place if you are looking for a different kind of Christmas.

Book a resort or lodge yourself in a quiet homestay amidst the hilly scenery and spend the best Christmas of your life with decorated trees, lights and music making it seem like a dream come true.

Now that you have learned about the top Christmas destinations you can head to this winter, book your tickets in advance and have the best time of your life with friends or family.