Celebrating Christmas in China

Christmas in China is a rather uncommon occurrence, with only less than 1% of the huge population being Christian, the majority of people know very little about the Holiday Traditions of Christmas. In Major cities, it is much more common to see things such as Christmas Trees on display than it is in the more rural areas. This is also true the further West you head, into cities such as Xinjiang where the population is made up of many more Muslims and devout Buddhists, so the tradition of Christmas is Celebrated very little.

It is quite common for places such as Schools, Offices and shops to remain open on Christmas Day throughout most of China, but due to the strong British and Portuguese influences in Hong Kong and Macau, Christmas in these areas are Official Public Holidays.

What do the Chinese do at Christmas?

The Holiday of Christmas is treated a little bit like how Valentine’s Day is treated in the West, except without the flowers and chocolate that come with it. It’s very much a social time for Chinese people, with many young people getting together for social gatherings and parties – in houses, karaoke cafe’s, and even McDonalds.

A frequent occurrence and a somewhat ‘Traditional’ Chinese Christmas activity is the giving of Apples. This is mainly done because the Mandarin word for Apple (苹果/píngguǒ) is very similar to the word for Christmas Eve (平安夜/pingān yè, which can also be read as Peaceful Evening, from the Translation of the carol Silent Night). The apple that is given is no long called It is Typical in many shops and stores for these ‘Christmas Apples’ to be wrapped up in colourful paper, and are usually adorned with Santa’s face and the words ‘Merry X-mas’. And if you receive such a special apple, be sure to return with the gift of a Christmas orange!