Faith, food and community: Indian Christmas in the UK

In a kitchen in Peterborough, Christmas begins weeks before 25 December. A rich fruit cake is baking, its fruits soaked for more than a month - a tradition passed down through one Indian Christian family for decades.

"My husband has always baked the Christmas cake," Cathy George, who lives in Netherton, said. "We've been married for over 31 years, and that's how it's always been."

Ms George belongs to the Indian Syrian Christian community from Kerala in southern India. She said few people in Britain realise that Christianity "arrived in India more than 2,000 years ago, brought by St Thomas, one of Jesus's disciples".

The community across the UK continue to celebrate Christmas through traditions shaped by that ancient faith and European influences.

In Mrs George's kitchen, the cake sits alongside trays of homemade Indian snacks, both sweet and savoury. There are rose cookies, fried into delicate flower shapes, and crunchy savouries prepared in large quantities.

"My grandmother used to make so much," she recalled. "It was shared with neighbours, friends and carol singers."

In the evenings leading up to Christmas, families gather for carol-singing services held in both English and Malayalam and sometimes in other Indian languages.

These gatherings often move between churches and community spaces and bring different generations of the community together.

The festive spirit is echoed in Crowland, near Peterborough, where Jisha Steffi, a senior nurse, prepares for Christmas with her three children and husband.

"Christmas is a very big celebration for us," she said. "We decorate the house, put up the manger, the lights and the tree, just like we did back home in Kerala."

Food plays a central role in both households, reflecting a life lived between cultures.

Christmas morning usually begins with Appam (hoppers) and beef stew, a traditional Kerala breakfast. Later in the day, British influences appear.

"My children have grown up here," Ms Steffi said. "They like roast dinners. So now we do both - Indian food and English food."

Mrs George added: "We do a duck roast and a few traditional dishes, especially my mother's fish moilee (stew) for lunch."

In and around Peterborough, families gather for Syro-Malabar Catholic services held in Malayalam, the language spoken in Kerala.

According to the census for England and Wales, the number of people of Indian ethnicity identifying as Christian increased from about 136,000 in 2011 to about 226,000 in 2021.

Father Dany Moloparampil, an Indian priest, oversees services across parts of Cambridgeshire where "hundreds of families" from across India are registered.

He said the church plays a "vital role in holding the community together", particularly for families whose parents and siblings remain in India.

"When we gather for Holy Mass, we celebrate it in our tradition," he said.

"There is a solemn service, often with a procession carrying the statue of the infant Jesus. These moments remind people of Christmas back home and create a strong sense of belonging."

For Ms Steffi, the church is also an important place for preserving language and identity.

"They need to speak to their grandparents... they need to understand their roots and where they come from," she said.

The weeks leading up to Christmas are marked by Advent - traditionally a time of sacrifice. While customs have adapted in Britain, the meaning remains.

"My children give up phones, social media or chocolate," Ms Steffi said.

"It's still about sacrifice, just in a way that makes sense for them."

Christmas Eve is spent at Mass before families return home to break Advent and begin celebrating.

For the George family, that includes the ceremonially cutting of the Christmas cake and sharing homemade wine with family and friends.

"When we first came here more than 20 years ago, there were very few of us," Ms George, who runs Crafting Curries and teaches Indian cooking, said.

"Now the community has grown, and we celebrate together with our chosen family."

Father Moloparampil concludes his conversation with a "message of hope".

"The message of Jesus is to love one another and respect others," he said.

"If we follow that message, we can help make the world a better place."

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