Consular Christmas blogs: Christmas – South Indian Style!

Christmas in South India comes in the middle of the Indian festive season. The songs of joy and sparkling decorations could be an extension of Deepavali (Diwali in the North) without the sound and fury; or perhaps it is the harbinger of another mega event – Sankranthi, the harvest festival.

In the countryside, you might find mango and banana trees decorated with lights. Some houses are topped by bright paper stars, while others keep the small clay-oil burning lamps used during Deepavali alight at Christmas.

There is no snow or mistletoe here. Yes, the weather is cool, it could even be a bit wet, but spirits will soar and bells will ring out a multilingual message. Add the delicacies of coconut sweets, ‘Ariselu’, Kerala halwa and home-made wine to the cake and chicken roast, and you could have a happy Christmas in the sunny South!

Close to 182,000 British tourists visited the State of Kerala last year, and it is one of the most popular destinations in India for Brits during the Christmas holidays. Most visitors spend Christmas at Fort Kochi, before taking a houseboat cruise into the backwaters in Alleppey, the tea gardens in Munnar or even the beaches at Varkala and Kovalam.

Many Brits travel to Kerala as part of a tour. One of the most important things for visitors to remember is to keep families informed of their whereabouts to avoid them worrying unnecessarily. Consular staff have to deal with a number of cases each year where travellers haven’t told their loved ones at home their full itinerary.

Sometimes visitors miss taking their medication during the holidays. This can result in an expensive stay in hospital as well as rescheduling the remaining part of their holiday or booking new flights. All of this causes inconvenience and expense.

A large number of passports are lost and stolen during this period. We recommend that you keep your passport in your hotel safe and travel with a photocopy as a proof of ID. Leaving a copy of your passport and visa with your family/friends back home, or on an email, could come in very handy in event of a loss or theft, and will speed up the process of obtaining an exit permit from the Indian Authorities.

While you’re on holiday soaking up the culture and colours of India, please take a few minutes to read our travel advice and understand what we can and cannot do to help you, and make sure you know the contact details for the Consulate, just in case.

Have a safe and happy holiday and if you need us, we’re just a phone call away.