Did you know that most indigenous people of the Republic of China do not identify as believers in God? If that is true, do Chinese celebrate Christmas? Let’s unravel the answer together.
According to official statistics, Christian religions in China make up around 1—5 percent of the population, with Buddhism taking the lead, while most of the population are nonreligious.
Give or take, do you think that would affect whether or not Chinese celebrate Christmas? If we were to go by that alone, of course it would. So, what else? Let’s get into it!
In outline, we will discuss the following questions: Who are the Chinese? What do they think of Christians? And do Chinese celebrate Christmas? I’m in already!
But before I forget, did you join our previous discussion on the topic: Do Jewish People Celebrate Christmas? If you didn’t, remember to check it out!
Who are the Chinese?
Chinese can be seen as a word that encompasses the vast diversities of a large population of human beings in a particular region on the Earth’s surface. It can be used to identify the people of China and their culture, even in reference to the languages they speak.
The Chinese are citizens of the People’s Republic of China, a country located in East Asia with a population of over 1.4 billion people, making it the second most populated country in the world after India.
The Chinese are not only second in the world’s population; they are also second to the United States in comparison of world power and economy. So, they occupy second position in world power and population. That sounds strategically unique to me.
When it comes to religious beliefs and the worship of God or gods, the Chinese seem to be not so interested. Though they are religious people in China, with the government’s recognition of 5 official religions, including Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Islam, Christians put together appear to be a minuscule of the populace.
What Do Chinese Think Of Christians?
There is a line of thought suggestive of some imperial view of Christianity among the Chinese. It has to do with the times when missionaries from the west visited China to propagate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Chinese, around the 19th and 20th centuries. So, there was a thing about Western cultural imperialism for Christians in the mind of the Chinese?
That isn’t all that there is. Christians promote exclusivity of their religion, which could be seen as interjecting with the core values of freedom of religion and general peace for the Chinese. Why? Because someone has to accept a certain rule of faith or face the threats of eternal damnation. It doesn’t seem to work with the government, or does it?
Moreover, the traditional or cultural view of life by the Chinese seems to place more emphasis on this world and humanity against another world, accompanied by the soteriology offered by Christians. Well, I’m not a Chinese, so I shouldn’t be thinking that I’m thinking what they are thinking.
There are some reports of rapid growths of Christianity among the Chinese, so that’s a good sign things are changing. How true that is; I have no idea. But it’s a good point to move from to our bus stop, in case you’re wondering why we haven’t arrived yet. Here we are!
Do Chinese celebrate Christmas?
Do Chinese celebrate Christmas? Yes, with a but. The reason is because Christmas in China is different from Christmas in, let’s say, America or Europe. So, how do Chinese celebrate Christmas?
In China, Christmas is not a holiday but another normal day. With that said, China as a nation does not celebrate Christmas religious holiday. But for some people, especially the young ones, it could be seen as a Valentine day and a good time to have fun and share some gifts, including apples with friends and neighbors.
The Christians among the Chinese can make religious meanings out of the day and decorate their homes with Christmas trees, lights, and the like. But generally speaking, Christmas day appears to be nothing more than another commercial day in the People’s Republic of China.
