One of the most common Chinese Christmas traditions among young people is to send cellophane-wrapped apples as gifts to their friends. The Chinese love their homophones, and therefore the locals say that eating an apple will bless you with a safe and peaceful year ahead. The Christmas theme park is set in the beautiful countryside outside Mohe, the northernmost city in China.
The Chinese Santa Claus is no ordinary jolly man — he plays the saxophone! This Chinese Christmas tradition is totally unique to the country and no one really knows why. One theory is that the Chinese Santa is seen as a romantic figure, and the sax is quite a charming instrument!
The city is home to over factories which specialise in making the majority of the lights and decorations that hang in shops, homes and streets all over the world. Your Christmas decorations probably came from Yiwu! While Christmas celebrations are increasing in popularity, not everyone in China is happy about it. However, as China becomes more global, it has started to welcome a commercialized version of Christmas, known as "Sheng Dan Jieh" or the "Holy Birth Festival," with both religious and secular Chinese Christmas traditions.
Overall, the general public tends to treat Christmas as a secular or romantic holiday with large gatherings and parties like those that Americans enjoy on New Year's Eve. Christmas is celebrated in China on December 25 th each year. However, unlike America, it is typically a non-religious holiday. While there might be underground church services on Christmas eve and family gatherings on Christmas day, Christmas is a commercialized, non-national holiday by most.
Rural and smaller villages might not even celebrate the holiday at all. Because only a small percentage of China's population is Christian, Chinese society has been slow to adopt Christmas.
However, Christmas decorations in stores and on streets are becoming a common site. Explore China's take on this fun, joyous holiday through looking at a few of its unique traditions. While most American's celebrate family, Chinese young people celebrate with friends or their significant others.
They might choose to go out to a movie, karaoke or go shopping. Young couples make it a day for dating and celebrate by exchanging small gifts. Large cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong that take part in the Christmas festivities center the celebration around children. Gift baskets filled with food and other items are always a welcome host or hostess treat when visiting during the holidays. Rather than gifts some might also give a hongbao red envelope with lucky money , much like at the Spring Festival.
While some families don't celebrate Christmas per se, they do use it as a way to prepare for the Spring Festival. They might pay respects to their ancestors by putting up portraits. They might also put out fruits that symbolize peace and wealth like apples and oranges. Decking the halls is distinctively different in Chinese culture. Most Chinese people who celebrate Christmas do so as a happy occasion for get-togethers of friends , relatives, and couples.
Christmas parties might be held at a friend's house, McDonald's, a karaoke cafe, restaurant, or bar. There is a festive atmosphere, and people enjoy the decorations and unusual music. Many younger Chinese see it as a romantic holiday for couples to exchange gifts and date.
While most Chinese people don't realize that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ or attach any religious significance to the foreign festivities, many of China's Christians celebrate Christmas as the top event of the year , outranking even Chinese New Year, preparing songs and activities weeks before.
Christians in China celebrate by going to special church services , which are typically packed to capacity. On Christmas Eve, there are choral performances, and the congregation puts on dance and drama performances. Carol singing in the streets is rarely seen, though it's popular in Christian's houses, where the karaoke machine, ever popular in China, may be employed. Tourists will find celebrations going on in most major cities, and domestic transportation and hotel rooms costs are some of the lowest of the year due to it being low season in China.
Expats from countries and cultures who celebrate Christmas decorate their homes and try to generate an atmosphere as much like at home as possible. Many feel particularly homesick at this time of year. Purchasing the trappings of Christmas is becoming increasingly possible in China, especially in the big cities where big malls and Christmas markets sell wrapping paper, cards, etc.
Online shopping is increasingly the cheapest was to get e. Expats hold Christmas parties in their homes and often in their schools if they are teachers. A Christmas dinner with family, or at least friends if family are far away, is seen as very important by most. Generally, gifts are not given at Christmas in China, except among expats. Often malls will have a Santa who hands out gifts to children, but these are usually opened the same day. There is no tradition of waiting for Christmas Day to open presents.
An unusual apple giving tradition has evolved in the country. Apples are sold with messages printed on the skin in Chinese : 'love', love hearts, and 'peace' are popular messages. Christmas cards especially a variety of good ones without English mistakes etc. E-cards are WeChat messages are popular ways of greeting each other. Many of the larger hotels and some Western restaurants offer traditional Christmas dinners.
Many Christmas foods are difficult to find in China: Brussels sprouts, Christmas puddings, even turkeys. However, Internet shopping Chinese sites like Taobao, rather than Amazon and import store in the big cities may come to the rescue.
Many large supermarkets, and chains like Walmart, may be able to help with the makings of a Christmas meal. Finally, there are such things as Christmas markets in some Chinese cities like Beijing. Banks are closed on these days. Boxing Day is a British tradition.
It is a day for shopping for after-holiday sales and for employers to give gifts to employees. Hong Kong is one of the best places in the world to go for a festive Christmas atmosphere, with its two-day public holiday.
Hong Kong is known for fantastic Christmas displays, fine food, and Christmas shopping.
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