Christmas in the Far East
In the Far East, Christianity exists alongside such other faiths or ideologies as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shintoism. While Christians celebrate the holiday for its traditional meanings, many of the other aspects, such as decorating and gift giving, have been adopted more widely.
China
China was only opened to the West 400 years ago, so—relatively speaking—Christians and Christmas have not been around for long. A very small portion of the Christian population celebrates a Christmas that’s referred to as Sheng Dan Jieh, or the Holy Birth Festival. Christmas trees are called “trees of light,” and paper lanterns are intermingled with holly for decoration. Stockings are hung, and there are versions of Santa known as Lam Khoong-Khoong (nice old father) and Dun Che Lao Ren (Christmas old man). Gift giving has some formal rules: Jewelry and other more-valuable gifts are only given to the immediate family; other gifts are given to relatives and friends.
More important to the majority of Chinese is the New Year, referred to as the Spring Festival, which is celebrated in late January. New toys and clothes are given and feasts are held. The spiritual aspects concern ancestor worship, and portraits of ancestors are displayed on New Year’s Eve. This is not, strictly speaking, a Christmas celebration, but it is a festive and popular seasonal undertaking.
Japan
Christmas in Japan is celebrated by a large number of people—including a good many who follow other religions. For the Japanese, Christmas is a strictly secular celebration, considered a time for fun and gifts. There are Japanese versions of American Christmas carols; department stores have Christmas trees and special Christmas sales; holly, bells, and other decorations are everywhere. A Buddhist monk named Hotei-osho is a Santa-like figure who brings presents to children, but Santa is there as well, along with his red-nosed reindeer.
For those who celebrate the religious aspects of the Japanese Christmas, the holiday season is a time for services, hymns, children’s pageants (with Japanese dress), visits to hospitals, and other services to the needy. Often, Japanese cakes are given out to those attending church.
Korea
Typical for this part of the world, Korea has a small pocket of Christians who celebrate Christmas with traditional religious services. Schoolchildren put on pageants, and there is a great effort put into helping the needy. For the actual Christmas service, a group of adults and children stay awake in the church on Christmas Eve. After midnight, they go out into the neighborhood singing, and they are often invited into homes for a treat. Religious services are held in the morning, and there is much caroling as people make their way there.
For the country as a whole, Christmas is a nonworking holiday, although the majority of the population is Buddhist. Some families have trees and children are given small gifts.
