The Search for Christmas

Choosing not to spend Christmas eve alone and depressed in my room about not being home for the holidays, I decided to go out and search for Christmas in Beijing. Christmas 'festivities' in Beijing begin on Christmas eve, so despite the below freezing temperatures this past Friday, many people were out strolling about shopping areas and hitting various Beijing nightlife hot spots.

After a not-so-great week in Beijing, my search for Christmas was exactly what I needed to raise my spirits. It was a good reminder of why I came abroad in the first place and why I like traveling so much.

Below are some photos from my search. Please appreciate them, especially since it was literally 11 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately -12 degrees Celsius) & colder on Friday night when I took these photos.

Xidan

Wangfujing

St. Joseph's Church in Wangfujing

Chaoyang District

Yam street vendor

 

Wangfujing

More photos on Angela Photo Musings:

• Christmas in China: Chaoyang District
• Christmas in China: St. Joseph's Church
• Christmas in China: Vendors
• Christmas in China: Wangfujing
• Christmas in China: Xidan

It's the thought that counts

My dorm, along with the other international students' dorms, have been decorated for Christmas:

 

It may not be the best decorating job in the world, but it's the thought that counts. I appreciate the effort. Plus, the trees in my dorm light up too; the other trees in the other dorms aren't quite as cool.

Merry Christmas!!

...or as the convenience store next to my dorm would like to wish you, "Feliz Navidad!"

No, I don' t know why Santa's speaking Spanish in a
convenience store in Bejing. Maybe Santa's lost.
Where's Ruldoph when you need actually need him &
his bright red nose?

Regardless of where you are and what language you speak, I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas holiday. And for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a happy December the 25th.

Take care,

Angela

Christmas in China

If you quickly Google "Christmas in China," most likely you'll be greeted with link after link saying something along the lines of the number of people referring to themselves as Christian in China is growing and Christmas is a becoming increasingly more popular, particularly with the younger generation and those living in the cities...blah, blah, blah.

Though this isn't completely false, there can be a religious aspect to Christmas celebrations and Christmas is indeed only mainly celebrated by the younger generations living the cities, Christmas here is basically Valentine's Day in December.

Typically, in China on Christmas, the pressure is on the male counterpart of a relationship to demonstrate his affection for his female counterpart through gifts and a special date of some sort. Pretty different from American Christmas traditions, right?

(Side note: LGBT acceptance, at least from what I've seen, still seems dicey in China). 

Now, for the most part, I at least try to keep an open mind about other people's traditions that differ from my own, but I have to admit that if this Christmas-as-Valentine's-Day tradition is not one that I care for very much (and no, it's not because I'm bitter and single either).

To me, China's version of the holiday reeks of consumerism. For all the slack Christmas gets in the United States about over-commercialization and consumerism, I have to say China's version of Christmas seems at least 10 times more guilty than the American version of the holiday.

At least at the end of the day in the United States, when all the shopping and present opening is said and done, Christmas really is about gathering with those you care about to for the sake of being together and being grateful to have one another. Or at least, that's what I've always felt like Christmas meant to me. But to each their own, I guess.

As for me, this Saturday, I will be going out and hitting all the shopping hot spots in hopes of observing Chinese people celebrating Christmas (in a non-stalker, non-creepy sort of way). It should be interesting and hopefully, I'll have something to report back to you  guys about.

Now, New York is a city that always does Christmas right.

Happy Holidays!

Since Hanukkah began last week and the holiday season has officially begun, I thought it was time to wish anyone/everyone reading this blog a happy holiday season. I hope you have a great holiday season where ever you may be, whatever it may be you celebrate (or not celebrate).

And to my friends and family that are reading this, I hope your holidays are extra great and please know I'm thinking of you all especially during this month of family, friends, food and celebration.