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Unique Christmas Traditions in Asia

Unique Christmas Traditions in Asia
Christmas Tradition in Asia © Brain Skewer

Christmas is coming fast!  For many of us, this season means decorating Christmas trees, navigating through crowded malls, playing the Michael Buble Christmas album way too much, and baking gingerbread cookies.  But what does Christmas look like for the rest of the world?  More specifically, how is Christmas in Asia?

Asian countries have a smaller number of Christians and Catholics compared to the rest of the world.  In Thailand, for instance, less than 1% of the population is Christian.  As a result, many Asian countries that do celebrate Christmas simply follow Western customs and traditions, such as Midnight Mass and the exchange of gifts (but not without enthusiasm).  In places like Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Malaysia, Western customs and traditions are followed, but the holiday has a more secular view than a religious one.

Of course, this is not the case for all Asian countries.  The Philippines, for instance, is one of two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia and Christmas is the most enthusiastically celebrated holiday on the calendar.  The country is known for celebrating the world’s longest Christmas season, which begins September 1st.

We’ve found that the Asian countries that do celebrate Christmas have an interesting set of traditions specific to their country.  Here are some of the most unique ones:

Japan

In 1974, KFC Japan began to promote fried chicken as a Christmas meal.  The insanely successful “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!) marketing campaign made the “Christmas Chicken” bucket an annual tradition.  In fact, the tradition has become so popular that people order their buckets months in advance to avoid the two hour line.

KFC for Chrismas in Japan. Image: KFC
KFC for Chrismas in Japan. Image: KFC

In addition to KFC fried chicken, there is one more thing that must be on the table for any Japanese home to feel the holiday spirit: Christmas cake.  According to anthropologist Michael Ashkenazi, who studied Japanese culture and tradition, Christmas cake is “sold on practically every street corner.”  Japanese Christmas cakes are sponge cakes covered in white cream and ruby red strawberries.

Christmas Cake in Japan. Image: Kore.am
Christmas Cake in Japan. Image: Kore.am

 

Korea

Christianity is still relatively new in Korea, so many Christmas celebrations follow that of Western culture.  However, Korea has its own version of Santa Claus.  Santa Haraboji, or Grandfather Santa, looks similar to the Western Santa, but he wears a traditional Korean hat (갓 gat) and his statues have often portrayed him in a green suit instead of a red one.

Haraboji. Image: the Korean Way

 

Indonesia

Although Indonesia is a Muslim country, Christmas is still regarded as a public holiday that is celebrated by many.  Shopping malls are known to be covered in Christmas decorations and Santa Claus is even a widely-known figure.  One Christmas tradition in Indonesia are the use of fireworks, one that we typically see in July.

Christmas Fireworks in Indonesia. image: Antara
Christmas Fireworks in  Ambon, Maluku Province, Indonesia. image: Antara

India

Similar to Indonesia, India has a very small Christian population.  But the 2.3% of Christians (that’s 25 million) are very enthusiastic about Christmas.  Religious customs, such as Midnight Mass, are observed,  Some even put a small, oil-burning, clay lamp on their roof to show that Jesus is the light of the world.  In South India, the tradition of the Christmas tree is alive and well, but instead of pine trees, mangos trees are used.

Banana Christmas Tree in India. Image: Business Insider
Banana Christmas Tree in India. Image: Business Insider

 

The Philippines

n the Philippines, Christmas is celebrated from September until January.  Needless to say, this holiday is huge.  One of the most well-known traditions is Simbang Gabi (night mass), which are nightly, dawn masses beginning from December 16th and ending on Christmas Eve.  The masses are meant to show devotion to God and create more anticipation for the birth of Christ.  After each mass, plenty of traditional food is consumed.

Simbang Gabi (Holiday Mass) in the Philippines. Image: Theologasia
Simbang Gabi (Holiday Mass) in the Philippines. Image: Theologasia

To us, the Christmas tree is one of the most symbolic decorations of Christmas.  In the Philippines, it’s the parol.  Parols are star-shaped lanterns that represent the star of Bethlehem, which guided the Three Kings.  Early parols were made of bamboo, rice paper, and oil lanterns.  Now, the art form of making parols has become as intricate as they are beautiful.

Parols in the Philippines. Image: Wikipedia
Parols in the Philippines. Image: Wikipedia

Know more unique Asian Christmas traditions? Let us know!

Source : Kore.am

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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