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Although Christmas in not a public holiday in China; it is celebrated with the same grandeur and glamour exhibited in more opulent nations. Like Valentine’s Day or any other commercial festival, Christmas brings with it plenty of decoration and a whole festive holiday spirit. When you look at the many streets lined with sparkling Christmas trees and hear Christmas carols echo in the distance, you would really be surprised that Christmas is not a religious festival in China.

Despite Christianity not being a primary religion in China, the country houses a substantial amount of churches. After all, China does have a population of 1.3 billion people and the Christians, according to statistics, make about 2 % of this population. Nevertheless the younger generation of China – Christian or not – are enthusiastic about celebrating this festive holiday that brings with it such joy and promise.

Shops are piled high with colourful Christmas goodies and sales people almost always don the iconic Santa hat in the true spirit of the season. For Christians holidaying in China this really provides a taste of home at ridiculously inexpensive prices. There are so many Christmas activities one can indulge in during this season. For one, you can try out the delicious traditional Christmas dishes. From bread and cakes to complete meals, most fancy restaurants and 4 and 5 star hotels in the country offer them all. Chefs who specialize in creating the holiday favourites are brought in from around the globe resulting in very authentic tastes.

If you are keener on cooking your traditional Christmas dishes with the famous family recipe, you can walk into any big supermarket to purchase your ingredients as it is usually stocked with all the Christmas necessities in a special section dedicated to the season. Along with shopping for Christmas delicacies, you can shop for Christmas goodies to grace the halls and rooms of your hotel room; from decorations, Christmas presents to Christmas gadgets, most malls and department stores have a healthy supply of them all. Even business hours are prolonged during the season as it enjoys a good amount of sales.

If Christmas spirituality is important to you, you can walk into one of the many churches in the city of Beijing, and many of the Catholic churches will feature the famous “midnight mass”. Beijing itself has 11 Churches, 5 of which are Christian and 6 are Catholic. In these churches that are glowing with vibrant Christmas hues, you can enjoy beautiful Christmas choirs and soothing prayers. While you holiday in the country, you will discover a range of greater China hotels such as the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels China. With gracious hospitality and elegant interiors, these properties are considered to be prime luxury hotels in China.

Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and hopes to visit them all someday.

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