Some people might wonder: do Asians celebrate Christmas? Of course they do. Just not on the same scale as we do in Germany and many other countries around the world. Nor do all Asian countries by any means celebrate it in the sense of nationwide holidays. After all, Christianity, on which the holiday is based, is not widely practiced as a religion across large parts of Asia. While Armenia celebrates Christmas exuberantly, things look quite different in China.
Which Asian countries celebrate Christmas?
Basically, Christmas exists in every country on earth. Even if only in a few households of converted or immigrant Christians. As one of the largest countries on earth, the Buddhist-influenced People's Republic of China sees only very few people celebrating Christmas - and even then only in large coastal cities, where a commercial mindset drives its spread among younger generations. It's similar in Japan. Because unlike in India, for example, Christmas is not recognized as an official holiday in China and Japan - except in internationally shaped metropolises like Hong Kong. There the holiday has much more of the charm of Valentine's Day, where couples and friends in particular celebrate among themselves.
Things look quite different in Armenia, for instance: the largest part of the Armenian population identifies as Armenian Christians. Traced back to the apostles of Jesus Christ, the religious connection to Christmas is thus present in Armenia. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas Eve. Not on December 24, though, but on January 5. Church services play a major role both before and during the Christmas season, and at home the Armenians share many similarities with the European Christmas: an Advent wreath, a Christmas tree, a holiday feast, and gifts.
Other countries officially recognize Christmas as a holiday, too, even if not with the same religious devotion: Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia, for example. Or Lebanon, where even decorated nativity scenes play a big role. South Korea also celebrates Christmas (as the only East Asian country), decorates Christmas trees, sends Christmas cards, and exchanges gifts. And that's despite the fact that fewer than 30% of the population belong to the Christian faith.
Christmas customs with a twist: mango trees instead of spruces
While South Korea shares many customs with Germany and other countries, other countries would probably cause a bit of culture shock for some. Because of the climate, in Bangladesh it isn't a (plastic) fir that's decorated but a banana plant. The roughly thirty million Christians in India do something similar: here, palms and mango trees are decorated with colorful strings of lights as well. Instead of the classic Western Advent wreaths, decorated mango leaves hang on walls and buildings.
In Lebanon, even many Muslims join in celebrating Christmas. Much more sensory overload than culture shock: while many people over here grumble about the artificially drawn-out Christmas season with gingerbread in late summer and mostly are glad when the sometimes exhausting holiday is over, the Christmas season lasts longer in the Philippines than anywhere else: the Filipinos celebrate Christmas for four months. Christmas items and matching background music in the stores are completely normal as early as September. 90 percent of the population in the Southeast Asian country is Christian and takes Christmas very seriously. So Christmas grinches might want to choose a different vacation spot between September and January if wanderlust draws them eastward.
At a glance
- Some countries in Asia celebrate Christmas
- Customs and traditions vary from country to country
- Christmas often resembles a commercial event more than a religious holiday
- Christmas in Asia is not necessarily a public holiday
- Asian Christmas traditions: as different as can be
As you can see, 'the Asian Christmas' exists just as little as the European one. In some cases the customs and traditions are fundamentally different from country to country. Where the population density of Christians is low, Christmas in many cases has at most the status of a commercial event, similar to Valentine's Day or Halloween pretty much worldwide. Accordingly, not all Asian countries recognize Christmas as a public holiday. If you want to learn more about Christmas in Asia, take a look at our articles on India, China, and Japan! There we go into more detail about the Christmas customs and traditions of these countries.
