Christmas in China is called Shèngdàn Jié (圣诞节), meaning "Holy Birth Festival," and while not a public holiday in mainland China, it's celebrated commercially and culturally, especially in big cities, with traditions like giving apples on Christmas Eve (平安夜 - Píng'ān Yè, "Night of Peace") and decorations like trees and lights.
Santa Claus is known as 圣诞老人 (Shèngdàn Lǎorén, literally meaning old Christmas man) in Chinese and his gift giving is well known in China. Many young Chinese enjoy Christmas parties with their friends and exchange gifts.
The truth is, “Christmas” is about as Chinese as the city of Shangri-la in Yunnan really is a mythical lost kingdom: that is, in name only. The Christian holiday wasn't widely known as Shengdanjie until the 1920s, with shengdan (圣诞) a generic term meaning “birth of a saint.”
In around 15 countries including Belarus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine,7th January is Christmas day. It's because they use a different calendar, called the Julian calendar that pre-dates the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly observed.
But do Chinese people celebrate Christmas? The answer is yes…and no. Like the rest of the world, Christmas Day in China is on December 25th each year. However, Christmas traditions in the country are relatively young and it is mainly celebrated as a commercial season instead of a religious day.
In fact, for the majority of Chinese people, Christmas isn't recognized as an official holiday. Most individuals are not Christian; rather, atheism is the national stance. This means that December 25th passes like any other day for many—no time off work or family gatherings centered around festive traditions.
Among China's traditional holidays and celebrations, none ranks higher in importance than the Lunar New Year (農曆新年). Also known as the Spring Festival (春節), or simply Chinese New Year, it marks the beginning of the year according to the traditional lunar calendar.
Known by many names, including the Epiphany, Three Kings' Day, Little Christmas or the 12th Day of Christmas, January 6th was first celebrated as a feast day in the 4th century to commemorate Jesus' introduction in human form.
No one knows Jesus' exact birth date, but Christians traditionally celebrate it on December 25th (Christmas), a date chosen centuries later, likely linked to Roman winter solstice festivals and calculations, though historians believe he was born several years earlier, possibly between 6 and 4 BC, with some theories suggesting a September birth.
Noel derives from the Old French "Noël", meaning "Christmas". It is a variant (and later replacement) of "nael", which itself comes from the Latin natalis, meaning "birth". The term natalis dies (birth day) was long used in Church Latin in reference to the birthday of Christ—or in other words: Christmas.
The most common way of saying Merry Christmas in Chinese is Play 圣诞节快乐 Shèngdàn Jié kuàilè! But you're not here to just stick to the basics, you're a Chinese language pro.
"Měi" (měi) in Chinese primarily refers to the character 美, meaning beautiful, good, or satisfactory, and is also used for America (美国 - Měiguó). Another common "měi" is 每, meaning every or each (like in "every day" - 每天 měi tiān).
Nowadays, as the folklore moves global, Krampus is frequently referred to as “Santa's Shadow.” The two are companions; where Santa rewards good behavior, Krampus punishes the naughty (the Bavarian substitute for coal in the stocking). Krampus is secular and all-inclusive.
Chinese culture, Chinese New Year, and Lunar New Year have the same meaning, although the former is still the preferred term. That is because Chinese New Year goes beyond the commonly-known animal zodiac system and incorporates other cultural and religious elements from ancient Chinese culture.
In Iceland, they are about trolls or half-trolls. We have thirteen brothers, also known as the Yule Lads or jólasveinarnir, who visit children, one at a time, every night from the 12th to the 24th of December. Read moreWe're Now a Travelife Partner! And much like Santa Claus, the Yule Lads know who's been bad or good!
Christmas tree 聖誕樹/圣诞树
Nothing says Christmas like a beautifully decorated tree glowing with twinkling lights and ornaments. In Chinese, the Christmas tree is called 聖誕樹/圣诞树 (shèng dàn shù): 聖誕/圣诞 = Christmas. 樹/树 = tree.
In Jeremiah 10:1-4 the verses basically say not to cut down trees and decorate them as the heathens did to sum it up. So why is this such a common practice among Christians, when they shouldn't even be celebrating Christmas in the first place?
Now, it's virtually undisputed that Jesus spoke or at least understood three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The opinions begin to differ regarding what Jesus' primary language was. For years the academic and theological community has dogmatically taught that Jesus primarily spoke Aramaic.
When he died, Jesus was around 33 years old. Most scholars estimate his age by analyzing Biblical and historical accounts of him. Most agree that He was born between 6 and 4 BCE, based on the Gospel of Matthew's mention of Herod the Great, who died in 4 BCE.
We celebrate Jesus' birthday on December 25th due to a combination of early Christian calculations linking it to his conception on March 25th and the Church's strategic choice to co-opt popular Roman winter solstice pagan festivals, like the birthday of the sun god Sol Invictus, to help spread Christianity by aligning the new faith with existing traditions. The Bible doesn't specify Jesus' birth date, so the Church assigned it to align with these symbolic dates and traditions.
In 1647 Parliament passed an Ordinance which resulted in the complete abolition of Christmas celebrations. That the said Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Easter and Whitsuntide and all other Festival days, commonly called Holy-dayes, be no longer observed … within this Kingdom of England …
It is in these articles of faith on which the dogmas of the Armenian Church are based. We believe in one God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, only-begotten of God the Father, that is to say, of the substance of the Father.
The 1st of October is China's National Day, and the 1st to 7th October is a nation-wide public holiday called the Golden Week in Beijing. Also known as Huang Jin Zhou (黄金周), this week-long vacation was implemented to commemorate the founding of the People's Republic of China on 1st October 1949.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is one of Asia's most dramatic ways of honoring the dead. For those who celebrate, it's a time when hungry—and sometimes angry—spirits return to the earthly realm in search of solace. To appease them, the living perform rituals meant to show respect and provide comfort.