圣诞快乐

🎅圣诞快乐🎄

（Merry Christmas)

As those of us prepare for the upcoming holiday, I start to wonder... what is Christmas like in China?

So I did some research to find out.

🎁 

I’ve come to find that celebrating Christmas in China has a weird history and is different from what it’s like here in the U.S.

First off, there are very few Christians in China, compared to the total and large population, so this is why there are not many traditions. Christianity has not had a great relationship with China in the past.  Now, however, with more social media as the catalyst I’m guessing, Christmas has become sort of a commercialized holiday, sort of like how Valentine’s Day has become in the U.S. People use the  holiday as a reason to get together with friends or a date, have dinner, and buy some little plastic trees. The holiday is meant for spreading peace and love. You can see some people dressed up as Santa and trees decorated with lights and lanterns in malls and big cities. Many people also know some common Christmas songs, such as Jingle Bells (click here for the Mandarin version!)

Another thing that has become popular is giving people apples, as the Mandarin name for apple is similar to the Mandarin name for Christmas Eve. The apples are wrapped in a special way or have special pictures or words carved or marked into the apples. Hm, interesting!

For those Christians who do live in China, they usually celebrate by attending church services, having a large feast and possibly exchanging some gifts. It is probably more focused on the religious aspect of Christmas then things have become in the U.S. But it is seen as a big deal.

I hope that you have learned a little bit today. I know I have! And for those of you who are celebrating Christmas this week, I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

I will catch up with you all next week with an exciting new video!

圣诞快乐！