A version of these kalkalas can be found in several places in South India. But what is most precious is the gathering of families to make pre-Christmas snacks, especially kalkala - a sweet snack made with semolina and rice flour that has a special rolling technique using a fork. In Goa, a Christmas dinner will usually consist of pork or chicken roast, the traditional vindaloo, pulao, and wine, which is often brewed at home. Christmas is no different, but it is food that is truly the focal point of community practice. Most вЂIndianвЂ™ festivals involve community celebrations - sharing of meals, praying together, putting up decorations. There is a massive misconception that Christians form a single entity, when less than 2 per cent of Indian Christians are actually made up of several different sects. Talking about Christmas without mentioning the food is truly blasphemous.Д®very Christmas feast is distinct, and is determined by the region and even the sect of Christianity one belongs to - and it involves much more than just boozy plum cakes. At least the animals were fake.ДЄnother prevalent practice, which is really indicative of the confluence of traditions, is Tamil Nadu and KeralaвЂ™s Christmas ritual involving the lighting of an earthen lamp to signal the arrival of Jesus, who, according to Christian scriptures, was the вЂlight of the worldвЂ™.ДЄlso read: Why supermarkets are banning glitter this festive season Far from authenticity, it was just weird to have three actual people, including a baby, crouching inside a makeshift stable.

Speaking of jugaad, a family recycles traditions! Delhi-based lawyer JenniferвЂ™s family, for instance, burns an effigy every Christmas to signal the end of the year, and to vent their frustrations for the year gone by IвЂ™m sure - a tradition that could really find some takers in 2020.Д«ut what I truly found strange was when our church priest thought a live tableau of the nativity scene (birth of Jesus) would lend authenticity to the Christmas midnight mass. It may not fit the ideal Hollywood image of a Christmas tree, but it definitely fits the desi idea.

And since it is practically impossible to get fig or pine trees down there, several people decorate banana and mango trees in the days leading up to Christmas. There is nothing more Indian than banana trees, at least in South India. Therefore, in this sense, nobody has an absolute claim to the festival, and Indians have made it their own in many unique ways. The traditions of putting up a tree, stockings, mistletoe, and even gift-giving, are decidedly pagan practices. And this is drawn from the syncretic tradition of Christmas, in which elements of Christianity and pagan symbols find a seamless blend. Derek O'Brien | а¦Ўа§‡а¦°а§‡а¦• а¦“'а¦¬а§Ќа¦°а¦ѕа¦Їа¦ја§‡а¦Ё December 23, 2015Д®very family, including people of all faith, has its own tradition and practices for this festive time. The Anglo-Indian Bow Barracks neighbourhood in Kolkata, the Cochin carnival in Kerala, the Mother Mary shrine in the tiny hamlet Vailankanni in Tamil Nadu, BandraвЂ™s Hill Road, and BorivaliвЂ™s IC Colony neighbourhoods in Mumbai - there are distinct markers of Christmas all over India.ДЄmateur photographer took this pic of the only #Christmas street party in #Kolkata from a verandah in Bow Barracks /GpMnCpl0Oe

On the days leading up to 25 December, several nooks and crannies across the country light up in anticipation. But really, you donвЂ™t get more desi than one does on Christmas.ДЄnd I mean, away from the baubles that most multinational conglomerates sell you in the name of Christmas spirit. This is surprising because Christmas is celebrated with as much aplomb in India as any other festival and yet, the distinct вЂforeignnessвЂ™ of the festival has still not waned. When you think of Christmas, you picture Santa Claus, in all his rotund glory, a sparkly Christmas tree, red stockings stuffed with gifts, and maybe some cake. WhatвЂ™s really ironic is that the birth anniversary of a Middle Eastern messiah is almost always associated with White, Western signifiers.

There are also some slightly bizarre traditions like choke-slamming an old man effigy and then burning it - a family stole this Goan New Year tradition, but you get the idea. From pork vindaloo, Hindi carols to banana trees for Christmas trees - not much can beat the ambiance of a desi Christmas.

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