Did you know that Christmas isn’t a public holiday in mainland China? The holiday is celebrated more like a novelty day. Think: Valentine’s Day or April Fool’s Day. You’ll still see the malls and streets of big cities lined up with fir trees, Christmas decorations, and Santa Claus, as well as hear many classic and familiar Christmas carols. But it’s not usually a time for family gatherings or Church-going like in many Western and predominantly Christian countries.
With that said, China has its own Christmas traditions – albeit relatively young – and this Pacific Prime article will lay down the fascinating things about Christmas in the country.
Yiwu town in Zhejiang province, China is framed as the ‘Christmas capital of the world’
Christmas isn’t complete without decorations. From Christmas trees and ornaments to fairy lights, stockings, and more, there are so many little things that come together to provide that warm and fuzzy Christmas feel. It’s no surprise that the majority of these items are produced in China, but what may come as a surprise is that the production is centered in Yi Wu town, Zhejiang province. A whopping 60% of the world’s Christmas decorations are produced here.
China also has its very own Christmas village in the northernmost arctic part of the country
Rovaniemi, Finland is often hailed as Santa’s official home. There, you’ll find Santa’s working office, the post office, bakery, gift workshops, and plenty of Santa-related activities. But this Arctic town has a Chinese rival. Beiji Village is China’s first Christmas theme park located in the northernmost arctic part of the country in the Mohe countryside. You’ll be able to see the Northern lights, ride a sled, play with snow, or visit Santa Claus’ house!
Santa lives there – accompanied by his sisters, not elves – and loves to play the saxophone
So Chinese Santa lives in Beiji Village. But he doesn’t rely on elves and reindeers to help him out! Instead, he’s got sisters and friends. You’ll often find Santa accompanied by women dressed in Christmas-themed outfits in malls. Additionally, Chinese Santa is also known for playing the saxophone. Yes, you read that right!
It’s tradition to eat an apple on Christmas Eve in China
Here’s a quick Mandarin lesson for you. Ping An Ye is the word for Christmas Eve, while Ping Guo is the word for apple. Due to the fact that these two words sound similar, and the fact that Chinese love their homophones, the tradition of eating and gifting apples on Christmas Eve in China came into being. But it’s not just any apple! It’s a “peace apply” that’s often sold with printed messages like “love”, “peace” and “Merry Christmas”.
Give yourself the gift of good health this Christmas!
Regardless of how you celebrate (or don’t celebrate) Christmas, the end of the year is usually a time for reflecting on what’s important and setting goals for the coming year. If health and wellbeing is an area you want to prioritize in 2023, then you should consider securing a good health insurance plan and reach out to the team at Pacific Prime for assistance. We can help you find, compare, and manage individual, family, and other types of health insurance plans.
Contact us today to get started!
Disclaimer: Pacific Prime solely represents, operates and manages locally regulated insurance products and services in the territory of PR China. Any references to Pacific Prime Global Company or Group, the international services, insurance products or otherwise stated written or verbally, is for introduction purposes about our overseas network only as each entity is fully independent.