English
বাংলা
About Christmas
Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ and is the most joyful festival in the Christian year. In Bangladesh it is widely known as Boro Din, the Big Day. Christians make up a small share of the population, a little under half a million people according to the 2022 census, but the festival is warmly visible: churches, schools and hotels are lit up, and many friends and neighbours of other faiths join in greetings and visits.
The community is spread across the country. There are old Catholic and Protestant congregations in Dhaka, including the cathedral area at Kakrail and the long-established parish at Tejgaon, and in Barishal, Khulna, Chattogram and the Christian villages of Gazipur and the Bhawal area. Many Christians also belong to Adivasi communities, among them the Garo (Mandi) of Mymensingh and Sherpur, the Khasi of Sylhet and the Santal of the north, each bringing its own songs and food to the day.
Unlike lunar festivals, Christmas is fixed: 25 December every year. It is a one-day general public holiday in Bangladesh, and government notices often allow Christian employees optional leave on the days around it. Celebrations usually stretch from Christmas Eve to the New Year.
How it is celebrated
On Christmas Eve, families attend midnight or evening Mass, and churches build nativity scenes, called gosaala or cowshed displays, with hay, flowers and coloured lights. Homes are hung with paper stars and star lanterns, small trees are decorated, and carol groups go from house to house singing kirtan-style songs in Bangla and in Adivasi languages. On the day itself, families visit one another, children receive gifts, and tables fill with fruit cake, pitha, pulao, meat curries and sweets. In winter-cool Dhaka, Christmas markets and hotel bakeries add to the festive mood.
What people buy
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Cakes and baking supplies
Fruit cake, plum cake and home-baked treats are at the heart of Boro Din, so dry fruit, flour, butter and baking tins sell well in December.
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Decorations and lights
Paper stars, star lanterns, tinsel, fairy lights and small Christmas trees brighten homes and churches.
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Nativity sets
Small crib or nativity figures are set up at home, often with hay and flowers around them.
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New clothes
Sarees, panjabis, dresses and children's outfits are bought for church and family visits, along with warm shawls and sweaters for the December chill.
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Gifts and toys
Toys, books, chocolates and gift boxes are bought for children and godchildren.
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Greeting cards
Cards and small gifts are still exchanged between friends, colleagues and neighbours of every faith.
Gift ideas
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A home-made or bakery cake
A boxed fruit cake is the classic Boro Din gift when visiting a Christian family.
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Warm shawl or sweater
Christmas falls in winter, so a woollen shawl or cardigan is both festive and useful.
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Decorations
A star lantern or a string of lights makes a cheerful gift for a friend's home.
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Toys and storybooks
Children love a small toy or an illustrated Bible story or picture book.
Shopping tips
Order decorations, lights and gifts in early December. Christmas sits close to Victory Day on 16 December and the year-end rush, and couriers slow down in the last week before the holiday. For cakes and food items, ask the seller about freshness, packing and how many days delivery to your area will take.
On Midmart each shop delivers separately and charges its own delivery fee, so lights from one shop and a cake from another arrive as two parcels with two delivery charges. Midmart never handles payment or delivery; each seller arranges their own, so agree the payment method and delivery date with the seller before you order.
Shop for Christmas
Every shop on Midmart collects payment its own way and arranges its own delivery — Midmart never handles your money or your parcel. Delivery is charged per shop: order from three shops and you pay three delivery charges.
Estimate a delivery chargeChristmas dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, 25 December 2026 |
| 2027 | Saturday, 25 December 2027 |
| 2028 | Monday, 25 December 2028 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, 25 December 2029 |
Dates marked “expected” depend on the moon sighting or the official calendar and are confirmed close to the day.
Questions about Christmas
Festival calendar
Sources and photo credits
- Banglapedia — Christmas
- Wikipedia — Christianity in Bangladesh
- The Daily Star — Govt announces official list of public holidays for 2026
- A nativity scene at the Archbishop's House in Kakrail, Dhaka. — Photo: Ifteebd10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 (source, CC BY-SA 4.0)