Many people want to know how the people in China celebrate Christmas. The Chinese New Year celebrations are world wide famous, because the New Year is much more popular holiday.

In China Christianity is not very popular and around twenty years ago, if you have been there at this time of the year it was difficult to see sighs of Christmas. But in this modern world now in China you can see Christmas decorations every where. No matter if you are in the big cities or in smaller towns.

In China people celebrate Christmas by lighting the houses with nice paper lanterns, candles and garlands. The Christmas tree is called “Tree of light”. It is usually decorated with paper flowers, paper lanterns and paper chains. Waiting for Santa Clause the kids hang their socks near the fire place. Santa Clause is popular as Dun Che Lao Ren which translated means “Christmas Old Man”. In the major cities as Beijing and Shanghai, where more foreigners are settled, you even can see people singing Christmas carols. The rest of the Chinese people do not understand the main meaning of Christmas but even among them the Jingle Bells song is popular.

If you are among Catholic community, you can go together to the nearest Catholic Church service at midnight if the religion tradition is important for you. Every year the popularity of midnight Christmas mass grows up.

Christmas is not a legal holiday in China, but the most loved part of the holiday - gift giving is very popular among the children and their parents. It is a sign of love and respect to give presents for your friends their. Under the “Light Tree” the parents put the gifts and the happiest moment for the kids in the Christmas morning, when they can see what they have got.