Christmas At Park Street: Sleigh This Winter Right At Kolkata With This Guide

When it comes to food, festivals, clothing, and other things, a city like Kolkata, which is constantly surrounded by everything from every community, never lets you down. Having said that, since winter is coming, allow me to explain how my city transforms into a wintry paradise around Christmas and why Park Street is the ideal location to be during that season.

Christmas is called "Borodin" in Bengali. The name, which literally translates to "The Big Day," comes from the winter solstice. As long back as I can recall, Christmas is celebrated in a very public and people-oriented manner rather than as a family gathering. In Kolkata, Christmas isn't simply a Christian holiday, it's something everyone celebrates outside.

The typical response to "What are you doing for Christmas?" is "I'll be going to Park Street". And what do you do? Simply walk about, admire the lights, eat, drink, and have fun. 

The Kolkata Christmas Festival is now a yearly event in the city. Every year, Park Street comes to life with spectacular lighting, Christmas carols, unique choir performances, food booths, and live music from the city's most prominent artists and bands. This year too, there will be food stalls across the length of Park Street and at Allen Park. The Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal oversee this one-of-a-kind Christmas festival in collaboration with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the Apeejay Surrendra Group and members of the Christian community.

We don't have Christmas dinners with turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and peas and family gatherings but we do have friends gathering to enjoy the murals delineating the fables on Park Street, eat from the numerous food stalls specifically built for the purpose, or enjoy speciality Christmas food in age-old restaurants. 

It is a time to celebrate the birth of "Jishu Khrishto" (Jesus Christ, as he is known in my language), and it is a very public occasion where you can drink alcohol and indulge in cake and candies.

Christmas is inextricably linked with cakes. Most of it is the Plum Cake from Nahoum's, the town's century-old Jewish bakery, or "fruit cake" as we call it. The Christmas season means that several bakeries in and around Kolkata, some of which are Muslim, will prepare for the impending business because practically everyone will eat cake. In order to control the queue for cakes, Nahoum and Sons, a Jewish bakery, closes one of its entrances beginning in December.

If you are a foodie, look for a variety of delights along the street. This location is well-known for being Kolkata's restaurant district. The most well-known of them are Peter Cat, Mocambo, Bar B Q, Tung Fong, Oasis, Moulin Rouge, Hoppipola, Marco Polo, Trincus, Kwality, and others. Nowadays, practically all of them serve alcohol, so these are your options if you want to drink and eat.

If you want to visit the churches around Christmas to attend the midnight mass, you can visit the 1847 Protestant church known as St. Paul's Cathedral. People from many different faiths frequently participate in the midnight mass here, which is broadcasted on national television. The entire street is lit up like one of those Pinterest mood boards come to life. 

Your best option is to take a metro train to Park Street Metro Station and start walking, following the crowd. It becomes very crowded real quick, so parking might be full if you’re driving your own car. You can also use Ola/Uber facilities too.

Do not panic if the crowd keeps increasing. Carry your own bottle of water and keep your personal belongings close to yourself. If you’re planning to dine at any of the restaurants in Park Street, reserving beforehand might help. Instagram and Facebook pages will soon begin to bombard your feed with notifications of what's coming up for the Christmas season. Be sure to check it out.

If you are looking to have a cosy Christmas and binge watch some heartwarming winter movies, this guide can help you!