Christmas Cultures
Argentina 
Armenia 
Australia 
Belgium 
Brazil 
Canada 
China 
Costa Rica 
Czech Rep. 
Democratic Republic of the Congo 
Denmark 
Egypt 
Ethiopia 
Finland 
France 
Germany 
Ghana 
Greece 
Greenland 
Guatemala 
Holland 
Hong Kong 
Hungary 
Iceland 
India 
Ireland 
Italy 
Jamaica 
Japan 
Latvia 
Lebanon 
Madagascar 
Mali 
Malta 
Mexico 
New Zealand 
Nigeria 
Norway 
Pakistan 
Palestine 
Philippines 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Russia 
Serbia 
Slovakia 
South Africa 
South Korea 
Spain 
Sri Lanka 
Sweden 
Taiwan 
Trinidad and Tobago 
U.K. 
U.S.A. 
Venezuela 
Vietnam 
Zambia 
Zimbabwe
Christmas in India
Compared to other religious festivals, Christmas is quite a small festival in India due to the number that are Christians (2.3%) compared to people who belong to other religions. Having said this the population of India is over 1 Billion, so there are over 25 million Christians in India!
One of the largest Christian Communities, in India, is in Bombay. A lot of the Christians in Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) are Roman Catholics.
Midnight mass is a very important service for Christians in India, especially Catholics. The whole family will walk to the mass and this will be followed by a massive feast of different delicacies, (mostly curries) and the giving and receiving of presents. Churches in India are decorated with Poinsettia flowers and candles for the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass service.
Many different languages are spoken in India. In Hindi and Urdu Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Bade Din ki Mubarak'; in Sanskrit it's 'Krismasasya shubhkaamnaa'; in Bengali 'Barodiner shubhechha janai'; in Tamil it's 'Christhu Jayanthi Nalvaalthukal' and in Konkani it's 'Khushal Borit Natala'. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages.
Instead of having traditional Christmas Trees, a banana or mango tree is decorated. Sometimes people use mango leaves to decorate their homes.
In Southern India, Christians often put small oil burning clay lamps on the flat roofs of their homes to show their neighbours that Jesus is the light of the world.
Christians in Mumbai often display a manger in a front window, (there's great competition in making the nativity scene). Also families go to great lengths to hang giant paper lanterns, in the shape of stars, between the houses so that the stars float above you as you walk down the road. Every household also makes sure that they have a stock of home made sweets ready to visitors.
In north-west India, the tribal Christians of the Bhil folk, go out night after night for a week at Christmas to sing their own carols the whole night through. They go to surrounding villages singing to people and telling the Christmas story.
In India, Father Christmas or Santa Claus delivers presents to children from a horse and cart. He's known as 'Christmas Baba' in Hindi, 'Baba Christmas' in Urdu (both of those mean Father Christmas); 'Christmas Thaathaa' in Tamil and 'Christmas Thatha' in Telugu (both of those mean Christmas old man); and 'Natal Bua' (Christmas Elder Man) in Marathi.
