The small number of Christians in China call Christmas Sheng Dan Jieh, which means Holy Birth Festival. They decorate their homes with evergreens, posters, and bright paper chains.
Santa Claus in China
The Chinese call Santa Claus sheng dan lao ren, which translates to Old Christmas Man.
Western countries celebrate Christmas with family, but in China celebrations are like Valentine's Day. It's a lighthearted day for young people to go out with their significant others and celebrate with small gifts. They also hang out with friends to go out to a movie, karaoke bar, or go shopping.
Though Christmas has been a big commercial success and a newly adopted festive tradition, most people in China do not celebrate as people do in the West. Like many foreign customs that China has absorbed and adapted over the centuries, Christmas also has developed its unique Chinese flair in China.
The family puts up a Christmas tree, called "tree of light," and decorates it with beautiful lanterns, flowers, and red paper chains that symbolize happiness. They cut out red pagodas to paste on the windows, and they light their houses with paper lanterns, too.
Then when July finally rolls around, this is when Australians celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense since it's colder. Although we know it as Christmas in July, Australians call this second celebration Yuletide or Yulefest.
On Christmas Eve, people like to gift apples. Why? The pronunciation of Christmas Eve in Chinese (平安夜 píng ān yè, literally peaceful evening) sounds similar to the word for apple (píng guŏ 苹果). Apples are also less commonly known as píng ān guŏ (平安果), meaning 'peaceful fruit'.
The 'Kentucky for Christmas' slogan was part of a marketing campaign in 1974 for the chicken franchise, and now every year around 3.6 million Japanese people sit down to eat KFC fried chicken for Christmas.
It is said that eating a peace apple on Christmas eve will bless you with a safe and peaceful year ahead. This tradition of gifting peace apples or “Ping'anguo” on Christmas Eve has become so popular in China that the price of apples rises every December 24.
The Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday in China. It is celebrated at the turn of the lunar calendar, typically in late January or early February.
Christmas is on its way and many people hold gift exchanges with family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc. However, it is still relatively new to celebrate Christmas in China. Instead, it's much more common for the Chinese to exchange gifts on Chinese New Year.
The most important Chinese holiday is the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), which is also celebrated in overseas ethnic Chinese communities (for example in Malaysia, Thailand or the USA).
Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas In Australia
What is Santa Claus called in Australia? These days most Australians call Atnas (his real name) “Santa”.
It is not common in a Chinese household to have Christmas trees or decorations, but outside, especially in big cities, extravagant Christmas trees, lights and decorations will be set out on the streets, in the hotels and department stores.
China. Santa is known as Sheng dan lao ren – Old Christmas Man. On Christmas Eve, which the Chinese call Peaceful Evening, no food or drink is left. Instead, people exchange apples – chosen because the Mandarin word for apple and peace rhyme.
Santa Claus is commonly called Shaka Santa. This references the popular “hang loose” hand sign that you can see Santa waving in Hawaii. Mrs. Claus is instead referred to as Tutu Mele.
In Japanese, "~ san （～さん）" is a title of respect added to a name. It can be used with both male and female names, and with either surnames or given names. It can also be attached to the name of occupations and titles.
In Japan Santa is known as サンタさん、サンタクロース / Santa-san (Mr Santa) or サンタクロース / Santa-Kurosu (Santa Claus). (Another Japanese gift bringer is Hoteiosho, a Japanese god of good fortune from Buddhism.
Australians often celebrate Christmas Day by enjoying a Christmas lunch or dinner with their closest family and friends. The meal usually consists of a selection of hot and cold dishes, including fresh seafood.
In Afrikaans (one the languages spoken in South Africa) Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Geseënde Kersfees'; in Zulu it's 'UKhisimusi omuhle', in Sesotho it's 'Le be le keresemese e monate' and in Xhosa it's 'Krismesi emnandi'.
Santa goes by a few names in South Africa, including Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) and Kersvader (Father Christmas) for those who speak Afrikaans.
Green, red and gold are the most common colors of Christmas in the West. We decorate the streets, houses and shop windows with them. In China, red and gold are also the most typical colors. They represent prosperity and happiness.
Chinese Buddhism and Folk Religions
China has the world's largest Buddhist population, with an estimated 185–250 million practitioners, according to Freedom House. Though Buddhism originated in India, it has a long history and tradition in China and today is the country's largest institutionalized religion.
The holiday season in Japan seems to be celebrated the exact opposite way as it is in western countries. In Japan, Christmas is the time for friends and couples to have parties, make plans to meet up for dinner and celebrate as much as they can.