Christmas in China

China is another country in which we don't always think of Christmas celebrations. You're probably more likely to hear about the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival celebrations. But in recent years, Christianity is really spreading in China! Praise the Lord! Hear what a friend of mine, Aaron Voth, has to share about his experiences:

Ni hao! Hello from the “Middle Kingdom,” China! My name is Aaron and I have been living in China since 2005. I came to China to teach English Language classes to college students. China is a wonderful and exciting place to live. It is very different from America, but that is why I like living here so much.

In China they have many of their own traditional holidays, but they also celebrate some Western holidays, such as Christmas. Even though Christmas is not a traditional Chinese holiday, every year I see more and more Christmas decorations in the streets as China tries to adopt holidays from other countries.

Even though Christmas is being celebrated more and more here in China, most Chinese people do not understand the real reason we celebrate this holiday. When you ask Chinese people what the meaning of Christmas is, they will often talk about Santa Claus and Christmas trees and presents. But even though the people do not always know the true meaning of Christmas, it is hidden in their language, kind of like a hidden code! Let me show you what I mean!

In the Chinese language, the word for Christmas is 圣诞 节 – Shèng Dàn Jié. Here is what each word (or character) means:
Shèng dàn jié – “Christmas”
Shèng - 圣 – “Holy, sacred”
Dàn - 诞 – “birth”
Jié - 节 – “celebration, festival”

So the meaning of the Chinese word for Christmas is “A celebration of a Holy birth”! I wonder whose birth that would be… 

Another example is the Chinese word for Christmas Eve: 平安夜 - Píng Ān Yè. Here is what each word (or character) means:
Píng Ān Yè – “Christmas Eve”
Píng - 平 – “peaceful, calm”
Ān - 安 – “still, quiet”
Yè - 夜 – “night”

So the meaning of the Chinese word for Christmas Eve is “a peaceful, quiet night”! Does anyone remember the lyrics to the song Silent Night? “All is calm, all is bright…” It’s just like the Chinese word!

When I teach my Chinese students about the true meaning of Christmas, I show them how their very own language tells the true Christmas story. That way they can understand that the Christmas holiday is not only an American holiday, but a holiday for everyone! Please pray that the Chinese people, and people all around the world, would know the true meaning of Christmas!