With Christmas round the corner, festivities and a surge in the sale of Chinese-made Santa costumes and red caps is dominating markets in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Like elsewhere in the world, X'mas stars, trees, cribs and decorative items form a vital part of the Christmas celebrations, with even non-Christians participating merrily.
Shopkeepers are doing brisk business as Chinese made goods are selling like hot cakes across the markets, while there is a decline in the sales of Indian products.
"The Santa Claus dresses, masks and caps cost from Rs.10 to Rs.5000, and we produce over five thousand dresses and 10,000 caps every year, and this year, the business is good. But still we see a downfall because of China made Santa Claus masks and dresses entering this market," said Santa Claus dress manufacturer Anil Kumar on Saturday.
Christians make up around two percent of India's 1.2 billion strong population with its largest concentration in the southern and north-eastern states.
India is a land of diversity; therefore people from different regions have different customs and beliefs which influence the Christmas celebrations.
Christmas is a very special occasion in India and people prepare special dishes for the day.
