Christmas is a busy time at the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni (the Annai Velankanni shrine), after the annual feast. This page covers what to expect if you’re coming for Christmas or New Year: the Christmas Eve midnight Mass, the crowds, the 26 December memorial, where to stay and how to get there.
This is an independent guide, not the shrine’s website. The shrine publishes its own Christmas and New Year programme, so check vailankannishrine.net or call the shrine office on +91 4365 263540 before you travel.
Key dates: Christmas and New Year 2026
| Date | Day | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 24 December 2026 | Thursday | Christmas Eve: the midnight Mass at the Basilica |
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December 2026 | Saturday | Anniversary of the 2004 tsunami |
| 31 December 2026 | Thursday | New Year’s Eve |
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year’s Day |
Christmas Eve midnight Mass
The Basilica holds a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. In 2025 local press described an “overwhelming sea of devotees” at the midnight Mass in the Shrine Basilica (News Today, 25 December 2025).
The shrine has not yet published the 2026 time, language or venue for the midnight Mass. We will add them here as soon as it does. Until then:
- Arrive early. Expect the Basilica to be very full on Christmas Eve.
- Plan for a late night. If you are staying in a lodge, check its gate or check-in times in case you return after midnight.
- Can’t be there? The shrine streams Masses on its YouTube channel; see Velankanni live Mass.
Mass timings over Christmas and New Year
Outside the special Christmas and New Year services, the regular daily timetable applies: Masses in Tamil, English, Malayalam, Konkani, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada at the shrine’s four churches. See Velankanni Mass timings for today’s schedule by church, language and day.
25 December 2026 is a Friday, so the regular Friday schedule is the starting point. The shrine may add or change services for Christmas Day, so check its programme.
26 December: the tsunami memorial
On 26 December 2004 the Indian Ocean tsunami struck Velankanni. Thousands of people were killed, many of them pilgrims who had come for Christmas. The Basilica itself was left standing. A memorial in the shrine grounds remembers those who died, and many pilgrims stop there to pray on the anniversary. The history of the Velankanni shrine tells the full story.
Crowds and weather
Velankanni is much busier around 24 to 26 December than in the rest of the month. Outside Christmas week, December is one of the more comfortable months to visit, with cooler weather. See the best time to visit Velankanni for a month-by-month guide.
If you are travelling with elderly family or small children, the days just before 24 December or after 26 December are quieter.
Where to stay at Christmas
- Shrine rooms are the cheapest, but they can’t be booked ahead: they are given out in person at the shrine’s counter on MDR544, with a token. See the shrine room booking guide.
- Private lodges and hotels can be booked ahead by phone or on booking sites. Compare every stay by area, rating and reviews on our hotels in Velankanni page, or see homestays and guest houses.
- Book ahead for 24–26 December. Rooms near the Basilica go first.
Getting there
Velankanni has its own railway station (VLNK), with a daily direct overnight train from Chennai Egmore (16175 MS–VLNK Express): see the Chennai to Velankanni train guide. For buses and road routes, see how to reach Velankanni. Book your train or bus as early as you can for the Christmas dates.
Before you go
- Dress code and etiquette inside the Basilica
- Packing checklist
- First-time pilgrim guide
- Velankanni novena prayers
- The next big date after New Year: the Velankanni annual feast 2027, 29 August – 8 September
