Christmas Festival The birth of Jesus Christ, kept by the Western churches on 25 December since the fourth century, and a gazetted holiday of the Government of India and of every state.
Christmas 2026 falls on Friday, 25 December, computed for Chennai.
The name
The same day, in every language that has a word for it
- English
- Christmas
- தமிழ்
- கிறிஸ்துமஸ்
- తెలుగు
- క్రిస్మస్
- ಕನ್ನಡ
- ಕ್ರಿಸ್ಮಸ್
- മലയാളം
- ക്രിസ്മസ്
- हिन्दी
- क्रिसमस
- বাংলা
- বড়দিন
- मराठी
- नाताळ
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
- ਕ੍ਰਿਸਮਸ
- অসমীয়া
- বৰদিন
Only the names actually in use are listed. A blank script is not an omission: the day may simply not be kept there, or be kept under a different festival's name.
Asia/Kolkata · UTC+5:30
The date of a festival depends on the place: a tithi that ends at dusk in Chennai can still be running at dusk a thousand kilometres west, which moves the day. Sunrise and sunset here are computed for the place above.
When it falls next
Tamil Nadu calendar, computed for Chennai
- Friday, 25 December 2026
- Saturday, 25 December 2027
- Monday, 25 December 2028
Where Christmas falls on the solar year, and how far the date moves between occurrences.
- 2026: 25 Dec
- 2027: 25 Dec
- 2028: 25 Dec
The dates, year by year
Tamil Nadu calendar, computed for Chennai
| Year | Christmas |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Thursday, 25 December 2025 |
| 2026 | Friday, 25 December 2026 |
| 2027 | Saturday, 25 December 2027 |
| 2028 | Monday, 25 December 2028 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, 25 December 2029 |
| 2030 | Wednesday, 25 December 2030 |
| 2031 | Thursday, 25 December 2031 |
| 2032 | Saturday, 25 December 2032 |
| 2033 | Sunday, 25 December 2033 |
| 2034 | Monday, 25 December 2034 |
| 2035 | Tuesday, 25 December 2035 |
| 2036 | Thursday, 25 December 2036 |
Worked out for Chennai, Lahiri ayanamsa. A date is a function of the place: set yours above and the next three come back for where you are.
What the day is
The birth of Jesus Christ, kept by the Western churches on 25 December since the fourth century, and a gazetted holiday of the Government of India and of every state. The midnight mass on the eve is the main service, and in Kerala, Goa and the Tamil coast the star is hung at the door from the start of Advent. Cake, wine and plum pudding are made at home, and in Kerala the appam and stew of Christmas morning is as fixed as any festival meal.
- Deity
- Jesus Christ
- Kind
- Festival Days of celebration: the house is decorated, a feast is cooked and the temple is visited.
The hour
Clock times for Friday, 25 December 2026 at Chennai
A fixed civil date, 25 December, and not a computed one: unlike Easter it needs no rule beyond the civil calendar. The mass is at midnight on the eve and again on the morning.
| Instant | Time | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Nishita | 00:09 | true midnight, the midpoint of sunset and the next sunrise |
Sunrise 06:28, sunset 17:50, UTC+5.5. These are the instants the rule is read at, not the temple's own puja times, which every temple prints for itself.
The fast
The fast that matters is before, not on the day: many keep the twenty-five days of Advent, and in Kerala the Christmas fast is broken after the midnight mass.
Where the regions differ
Kerala, Goa and the Tamil coast keep it most fully; the north and the Deccan keep it as a public holiday with the churches full and little else changed.
The dates above are the Tamil Nadu reckoning, because that is the calendar this key belongs to. Switch the tradition on the calendar page to see how another one dates the same day.
Every date here is computed from the Sun and Moon for the place entered, by the rule printed beside it. A printed panchangam can differ by a day where an almanac reads a tithi at a different instant, and a family's own custom always comes first. Where the practice genuinely varies, the text says so rather than choosing for you.