Love it or hate it, Christmas is probably one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world. Because it comes at the end of the year, it is a great way to mark the end of the old year and the beginning of the new with friends and family.
And there is just some kind of a magical glow throughout the festive weeks, as people go all out to make the holiday season special.
In Asia, many people celebrate Christmas with their own interesting traditions that may not be seen anywhere else.
Here are the creative and fascinating spins on Christmas in five Asian countries.
1. Japan
Christmas in Japan is less of a religious festivity and more of a cultural event meant to spread good cheer. Christmas Eve is celebrated as a romantic day for couples to go out for a meal together. Interestingly, unlike the stereotypical roast turkey of the West, Japanese celebrants feast on fried chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken.
The franchise makes a killing during the year-end holiday season, sometimes having to put up a waiting list for orders.
This love for Christmas fried chicken largely stems from “Kentucky for Christmas!”, a highly successful advertising campaign in the 1970s by the fast-food franchise.
2. Palestine
Considering that 20% of Palestinians are Christian, it goes without saying that Christmas is an important celebration throughout the Palestinian territories.
In addition, one of the holiest sites for Christians – Bethlehem, where Jesus was born – is located in the West Bank.
And while they may not celebrate Christmas themselves, many Muslim Palestinians are proud that Jesus, an important figure in Islam, was born on Palestinian territory.
Christmas parades are commonplace during this time of the year, and often include bagpipe bands, a cultural leftover of the British occupation.
Devout Christians attend mass in the Church of the Nativity, which is said to be built atop the stable where Jesus was born.
3. China
While the Chinese government espouses state atheism, people do take part in cultural festivities related to Christmas.
Generally, outside of major cities Christmas means nothing, but for city shopping malls, Christmas is a particularly good time for business.
While most of the world’s production of Christmas trees and decorations is based in China, one would be hard pressed to find a household that bothers to set one up at home.
A Christmas tradition unique to China is the gifting of apples wrapped in coloured paper, often bearing Christmas messages or images of Santa Claus.
This is apparently the result of wordplay, as the word for apple, “ping guo”, is similar to the word for Christmas Eve, “ping’an ye”.
4. The Philippines
The Philippines is the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia, so Christmas is, not surprisingly, a big event. You are likely to hear Christmas carols being played in September, and Christmas masses begin on Dec 16 until Christmas Day itself.
The religious festivities continue into the New Year until Epiphany, which falls on the first Sunday in January.
Apart from the usual Christmas tree, Filipinos also decorate their homes with lighted star lanterns, called “parol”.
These are made from bamboo strips and coloured Japanese paper, meant to represent the star that appeared on the first Christmas and the victory of light over darkness.
5. India
While only about 2% of India’s population are Christians, this still amounts to about 25 million people, so Christmas is observed here.
The Christian communities are largely based in Mumbai and Goa, with a high proportion of Roman Catholics, who celebrate Christmas by attending mass.
In some parts of India, since Christmas trees may be hard to procure, mango or banana trees are lavishly decorated.
Christian households in southern India sometimes mark the day by placing lit clay oil lamps on their roofs, to symbolise their belief in Jesus being the light of the world.
Giant star-shaped paper lanterns are also a common decoration that can be seen strung up around Christian homes, which often set up their own Nativity scene.