Christmas
Midnight mass, carols, stars and Christmas trees, plum cakes from Pune's old bakeries and lights on the streets, across the city.
Quick facts
- Date:
- 25 December every year
- Christmas Eve:
- 24 December, midnight mass
- Known for:
- Carols, cribs, stars, plum cakes, street lights
Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, is celebrated on 25 December. Pune has a Christian community that goes back more than two hundred years, and today the whole city joins in the fun, from churches and schools to housing societies and malls.
Midnight mass and carols
On Christmas Eve, churches across Pune hold midnight mass and carol services, and many stay open on Christmas Day for people of every faith who want to visit the crib. Some of the city's oldest churches are in the Cantonment areas:
- St. Mary's Church, Camp, consecrated in 1825 and called the mother church of the Deccan.
- St. Patrick's Cathedral, Camp, the Catholic cathedral of Pune.
- Churches in Khadki, Kalyani Nagar, Aundh, Pimpri and many other parts of the city.
Christmas in Pune
In December, homes and housing societies put up paper stars, cribs and Christmas trees, and children wait for Santa Claus at school parties. Malls and hotels set up big trees and light shows, and roads such as MG Road and East Street in Camp are lit up and packed with families on Christmas Eve. Pune's old bakeries sell plum cakes, rum cakes, marzipan and kulkuls, and many homes bake their own.
Because of the crowds, Pune traffic police usually close MG Road in Camp to vehicles on the evening of 24 December. Watch for their notice a day or two before.
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More in Festivals of Pune
-
Shiv Jayanti
The birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, celebrated on 19 February with processions and programmes.
- Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti The birth anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on 14 April, marked in Pune with tributes at his statues, processions, music and lectures through the day and night.
-
Navratri and Dasara
Nine nights of the goddess, with the Chaturshrungi fair, garba and dandiya, ending in Dasara: apta leaves as gold, Ravan dahan and new beginnings.
-
Diwali
The festival of lights: lamps, kandils, rangoli, faral and shopping crowds on Laxmi Road.
-
Palkhi (Ashadhi Wari)
Every year the palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram pass through Pune with lakhs of Varkaris walking to Pandharpur.
-
Gudi Padwa
The Marathi New Year: a gudi at every door, neem and jaggery, shrikhand puri, and shobha yatras with dhol tasha across Pune.
Questions and answers
Which is the oldest church in Pune?
St. Mary's Church in Camp, consecrated in 1825, is one of the oldest and is called the mother church of the Deccan.
Where can I see Christmas lights in Pune?
MG Road and East Street in Camp are lit up for Christmas, and big malls and hotels across the city set up trees and light shows.
Sources: Written by PuneDiary. Facts checked on 15 October 2026 against church histories and Pune traffic police notices of past years.