The Complete Culture & Language Guide to Christmas 2023 in China || BONUS Chinese Christmas Carols!

🎅 With Christmas just around the corner, a lot of our students are asking… Do Chinese people celebrate Christmas?

A good few years ago, the answer to this question was a definite no.

However, in recent times, Christmas has become as popular as Halloween in China!

Though it’s not a public holiday in China (except in Hong Kong) and most people don’t treat it as a religious holiday, Christmas is still celebrated by millions of people in China each year.

Some young people even treat it as a kind of extra Valentine’s Day!

Christmas in China | How to say Merry Christmas in Chinese

Christmas in China | Why Celebrate it?

Christmas in China | The Build-up

Christmas in China | The Vocab

Christmas in China | The Carols

Christmas in China | 5 Fun Facts!

How to say Merry Christmas in Chinese?

So, first things first.

How exactly do you say Merry Christmas in Chinese?

The classic, most common and best bet phrase to learn is of course:

Merry Christmas!
圣诞节快乐
Shèngdàn Jié kuàilè!

Let’s break that down a little and take a closer look at each of the elements:

圣诞 Shèngdàn: this translates literally to ‘saint birthday’ but it’s mostly used to mean Christmas

节 Jié: this means ‘festival’ and is also used used in Spring Festival (春节), Halloween (万圣节) and more Chinese festivals.

快乐 kuàilè: ‘happy’!

The most common way of saying Merry Christmas in Chinese is 圣诞节快乐 Shèngdàn Jié kuàilè!

But you’re not here to just stick to the basics, you’re a Chinese language pro.

So, let’s take a look at 10 Unique Ways to Wish A Merry Christmas in Chinese you can use for your family and friends.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
圣诞快乐，恭贺新禧！
shèngdàn kuàilè, gōnghè xīnxǐ!

Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas.
祝福你及全家圣诞快乐。
zhùfú nín jí quánjiā shèngdàn kuàilè.

Wishing you peace, joy, and happiness through Christmas and the coming year.
在圣诞和新年来临之际，祝福你平安、快乐、幸福！
zài shèngdàn hé xīnnián láilín zhī jì, zhùfú nǐ píng’ān, kuàilè, xìngfú!

May you have the best Christmas ever.
愿你度过最美好的圣诞节！
yuàn nǐ dùguò zuì měihǎo de shèngdàn jié!

May the joy of Christmas be with you throughout the year.
愿圣诞的快乐一年四季常在。
yuàn shèngdàn de kuàilè yī nián sìjì cháng zài.

Christmas time is here. I hope you have a wonderful New Year. May you always be happy!
圣诞来临，祝新年快乐，愿你时时刻刻幸福欢乐！
shèngdàn láilín, zhù xīnnián kuàilè, yuàn nǐ shí shíkè kè xìngfú huānlè!

Warm greetings and best wishes for happiness and good luck in the coming year.
衷心祝福来年快乐、幸运！
zhōngxīn zhùfú láinián kuàilè, xìngyùn!

May the beauty and joy of Christmas remain with you throughout the new year!
愿圣诞美景与欢乐常伴随你！
yuàn shèngdàn měijǐng yǔ huānlè cháng bànsuí nǐ!

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year full of surprises
祝圣诞平安，新年中有意想不到的收获！
zhù shèngdàn píng’ān, xīnnián zhōng yǒuyì xiǎngbùdào de shōuhuò!

May your Christmas be full of warmth, peace, and the joy of being reunited with your loved ones.
愿你的圣诞充满温馨，祥和，与亲人团聚的快乐，祝圣诞乐陶陶，新年乐无限。
yuàn nǐ de shèngdàn chōngmǎn wēnxīn, xiánghé, yǔ qīnrén tuánjù de kuàilè, zhù shèngdàn lè táotáo, xīnnián lè wúxiàn.

Great – some really useful sentences there to wish your Chinese friends a Merry Christmas in Chinese. Now let’s move onto Christmas in China, and what it’s all about.

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How to say Happy New Year in Chinese? Opt for something more elaborate and personalized with some of these alternate ways of wishing in the new year.

Why Celebrate Christmas in China?

Obviously, the people who celebrate Christmas in China has nothing to do with whether they are religious or not, in most instances anyway.

It is in fact seen as another great opportunity for celebrations and shopping time coming from western capitalism.

It’s obviously a huge opportunity for high street retailers to take advantage of the generosity of people around this time of year, and they’d be foolish not to jump on board.

Therefore, for people living in China’s biggest cities, it has become more frequent to come across huge Christmas trees and Christmas fairs.

A decade or two ago this certainly wouldn’t have been the case even in Beijing or Shanghai.

Also seeing a western Santa Claus giving presents to Chinese kids while parents taste the typical food people eat in the West for Christmas has become a a very familiar scene in these kind of events.

As each year goes on this becomes more and more common even if the religious element of the festival doesn’t apply to many in China.

Conversely, life is harder for the ones that really want to celebrate Christmas in China as a religious holiday.

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Must Follow Rules for Chinese Gift Giving. Are thinking about buying a present for a Chinese person? These 5 golden rules (and taboos) will help you

In the last years, according to the Associated Press, “many Christians say their faith has been singled out because authorities, wary of its rapid growth, are seeking to curb its spread in a campaign that has targeted China’s most thriving Christian communities”.

These kind of actions have been particularly harsh towards believers of Zhejiang province.

Zhejiang, in effect, has one of the largest Protestant populations of China and it seems that Government authorities are worried about the “possibility that Christians may rival in size the 85 million members of the ruling Communist Party”.

The Build up to Christmas in China

Here’s the deal:

Despite the obstacles and difficulties, this magical holiday with its lights, colours and gifts attracts a lot of Chinese people that take part to Christmas themed events more than westerners do.

Impressive and picturesque displays of lights can be seen outside pretty much every large shopping mall in China’s major cities, sometimes up to a month before Christmas Day itself.

From a western point of view, seeing Chinese people getting closer to Christmas traditions is like watching Jack Skeleton from The Nightmare Before Christmas trying to introduce the mysterious and attractive holiday in “Halloween Town”.

Just as all the characters in the movie, when Chinese people see Christmas trees, sparkling lights and shining bows, they seem to wonder “What’s this, what’s this?!”.

Unable to resist the lure of the atmosphere, they are magnetically attracted to it.

Merry Christmas in Chinese

Hoping that the consequences of this unnatural introduction of the holiday will not be negative as the ones in Burton’s movie, I leave wishing you a Merry Christmas in Mandarin 圣诞节快乐 (shèngdàn jié kuàilè), not forgetting a Happy New Year 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè) also!

We have decided to give you some new Chinese Christmas vocabulary.

It’ll be perfect for making conversation around the dinner table, especially if you’re planning on spending your holiday here in China with Chinese friends or a host family.

You’ll be able to talk about your own traditions in Chinese and help your Chinese friends to learn about Christmas.

First and foremost, let’s learn some of the most important phrases!

How to say Merry Christmas in Chinese?

Why are you here?

Of course, you want to know how to wish someone a Merry Christmas, so here it is:

• We wish you a Merry Christmas
• wǒmen zhù nǐ shèngdàn kuàilè
• 我们祝你圣诞快乐

The literal breakdown of this sentence is:

We Wish You Christmas Happy

Not so difficult to remember. Make sure to memorize these two characters 圣诞 (shèngdàn) “Holy + birth”, cause they are often used in Christmas related expressions.

NOTE – You can use the wǒmen zhù nǐ for most happy occasions (although note this is the plural form).

Now you’ve learned the Chinese, why not learn how to say Merry Christmas in Korean, Merry Christmas in Japanese and Merry Christmas in Vietnamese?

How to say Happy New Year in Chinese?

So, Christmas has passed and it’s a week later, we enter a New Year so what do you say?

• Happy New Year!
• xīnnián kuàilè! 
• 新年快乐

Remember, if you want to add “We wish you” before, then just add wǒmen zhù nǐ before.

Despite the fact the Chinese New Year is celebrated at a different time, the turn of the New Year is still widely celebrated in China and you’ll be hard pressed to avoid any parties or get togethers.

TAKE CARE – You’ll also notice the structure is quite easy to remember. Just be aware the HAPPY part of the phrase (kuàilè) goes on the end of the phrase, not at the start like in English.

Chinese Christmas Traditions

OK, time for the best of the rest, and there’s plenty of them too.

• Christmas Day – shèngdàn jié (圣诞节)
• Presents – lǐwù (礼物)
• Present Exchange – lǐwù jiāohuàn (礼物交换)
• Advent Calendar – jiànglín jié rìlì (降临节日历)

• Christmas Carols – shèngdàn sònggē (圣诞颂歌)
• Snowman – xuěrén (雪人)
• Christmas Card – shèngdàn hèkǎ (圣诞贺卡)

Christmas Tree in Chinese and more Decorations!

• Christmas Tree – shèngdànshù (圣诞树)
• Tinsel – shèngdàn zhuāngshì pǐn (圣诞装饰品)
• Christmas Lights – shèngdàn dēngshì (圣诞灯饰)
• Christmas Wreath – shèngdàn huāhuán (圣诞花环)

• Baubles – shèngdàn cǎi qiú (圣诞彩球)
• Mistletoe – hú jìshēng (槲寄生)
• Snowflake – xuěhuā (雪花)

Chinese Christmas Food

• Turkey – huǒ jī (火鸡)
• Panettone – yìdàlì jiérì gāodiǎn (意大利节日糕点)
• Nougat – niú gá táng (牛轧糖)
• Mulled Wine – rè pútáojiǔ (热葡萄酒)

• Champagne – xiāngbīnjiǔ (香槟酒)
• Christmas Crackers – shèngdàn lā pào (圣诞拉炮)
• Christmas Pudding – shèngdàn bùdīng (圣诞布丁)

Chinese Christmas Story

• Nativity – yēsū dànshēng (耶稣诞生)
• Crib – tóng chuáng (童床)
• The three wise men – sān wèi zhìzhě (三位智者)
• Frankincense – rǔxiāng (乳香)

• Gold – jīn (金)
• Myrrh – mò yào (没药)
• Donkey – lǘzi (驴子)
• Ox – niú (牛)

Santa in Chinese

Father Christmas / Santa Claus –shèngdàn lǎorén (圣诞老人 literally ‘Christmas Old Man’)

• Chimney – yāncōng  (烟囱)
• Stockings – cháng tǒng wà (长筒袜)
• Reindeer – xùnlù (驯鹿)
• Elfs – jīnglíng (精灵)

• Toys – wánjù (玩具)
• Santa’s Workshop – shèngdàn lǎorén gōngchǎng (圣诞老人工厂)
• Lapland – lā pǔlán (拉普兰)
• Sleigh – xuěqiāo (雪橇)

Here’s a quick summary:

Christmas Songs in Chinese

In the spirit of Christmas, here is a (very simple) shèngdàn sònggē just for you.

Christmas time is all about spreading happiness and good wishes so if there is one thing that you remember from this blog, it should be ‘shèngdàn kuàilè‘, which means Merry Christmas. Enjoy the festivities, from all of us at LTL!

We wish you a Merry Christmas
wǒmen zhù nǐ shèngdàn kuàilè (我们祝你圣诞快乐)

We wish you a Merry Christmas
wǒmen zhù nǐ shèngdàn kuàilè (我们祝你圣诞快乐)

We wish you a Merry Christmas
wǒmen zhù nǐ shèngdàn kuàilè (我们祝你圣诞快乐)

And a happy New Year!
xīnnián kuàilè! (新年快乐)

Good tidings we bring
wǒmen dài láile hǎo xiāoxī (我们带来了好消息)

To you and your kin
gěi nǐ hé nǐ de jiārén (给你和你的家人)

We wish you a Merry Christmas
wǒmen zhù nǐ shèngdàn kuàilè (我们祝你圣诞快乐)

And a happy New Year!
xīnnián kuàilè! (新年快乐)

Let’s Learn some Christmas Carols in Chinese

So we know about Christmas in China and the vocab, now let’s learn how to sing some Christmas songs…

Santa Claus is Coming to Town in Chinese – 圣诞老人进城了

嘿 小朋友 你不要怕, 圣诞老人进城了
hēi xiǎopéngyǒu nǐ bùyào pà, shèngdàn lǎorén jìn chéngle

带来礼物带来欢笑, 分送给小朋友
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào, fēn sòng gěi xiǎopéngyǒu

看谁是乖宝宝, 礼物给他一大包 礼物给他一大包
kàn shéi shì guāi bǎobǎo, lǐwù gěi tā yī dà bāo lǐwù gěi tā yī dà bāo

嘿 小朋友 你不要怕, 圣诞老人进城了
hēi xiǎopéngyǒu nǐ bùyào pà, shèngdàn lǎorén jìn chéngle

带来礼物带来欢笑.
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào.

嘿 小朋友 你不要怕, 圣诞老人进城了
hēi xiǎopéngyǒu nǐ bùyào pà, shèngdàn lǎorén jìn chéngle

带来礼物带来欢笑, 分送给小朋友
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào, fēn sòng gěi xiǎopéngyǒu

看谁是乖宝宝, 礼物给他一大包 礼物给他一大包
kàn shéi shì guāi bǎobǎo, lǐwù gěi tā yī dà bāo lǐwù gěi tā yī dà bāo

嘿 小朋友 你不要怕, 圣诞老人进城了
hēi xiǎopéngyǒu nǐ bùyào pà, shèngdàn lǎorén jìn chéngle

带来礼物带来欢笑.
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào.

嘿 小朋友 你不要怕, 圣诞老人进城了
hēi xiǎopéngyǒu nǐ bùyào pà, shèngdàn lǎorén jìn chéngle

带来礼物带来欢笑, 带来礼物带来欢笑
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào, dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào

带来礼物带来欢笑, 带来礼物带来欢笑
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào, dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào

带来礼物带来欢笑, 分送给小朋友
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào, fēn sòng gěi xiǎopéngyǒu

看谁是乖宝宝, 礼物给他一大包 礼物给他一大包
kàn shéi shì guāi bǎobǎo, lǐwù gěi tā yī dà bāo lǐwù gěi tā yī dà bāo

嘿 小朋友 你不要怕, 圣诞老人进城了
hēi xiǎopéngyǒu nǐ bùyào pà, shèngdàn lǎorén jìn chéngle

带来礼物带来欢笑.
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào.

嘿 小朋友 你不要怕, 圣诞老人进城了
hēi xiǎopéngyǒu nǐ bùyào pà, shèngdàn lǎorén jìn chéngle

带来礼物带来欢笑, 带来礼物带来欢笑
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào, dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào

带来礼物带来欢笑, 带来礼物带来欢笑
dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào, dài lái lǐwù dài lái huānxiào

Silent Night in Chinese – 平安夜

平安夜, 圣善夜! 万暗中, 光华射，
píng’ān yè, shèng shàn yè! Wàn ànzhōng, guānghuá shè,

照着圣母, 照着圣嬰, 多少慈祥, 多少天真，
zhàozhe shèngmǔ, zhàozhe shèng yīng, duōshǎo cíxiáng, duōshǎo tiānzhēn,

静享天赐安眠, 静享天赐安眠.
jìng xiǎng tiāncì ānmián, jìng xiǎng tiāncì ānmián.

平安夜, 圣善夜, 牧羊人, 在旷野
píng’ān yè, shèng shàn yè, mùyáng rén, zài kuàngyě,

忽然看见了天上光华, 听见天军唱哈利路亚
hūrán kànjiànle tiānshàng guānghuá, tīngjiàn tiān jūn chàng hā lì lù yà,

救主今夜降生, 救主今夜降生! 平安夜, 圣善夜!
jiù zhǔ jīnyè jiàngshēng, jiù zhǔ jīnyè jiàngshēng! Píng’ān yè, shèng shàn yè!

神子爱, 光皎洁, 救赎宏恩的黎明来到
shénzi ài, guāng jiǎojié, jiùshú hóng ēn dí límíng lái dào,

圣容发出来荣光普照, 耶稣我主降生, 耶稣我主降生!
shèng róng fà chūlái róngguāng pǔzhào, yēsū wǒ zhǔ jiàngshēng, yēsū wǒ zhǔ jiàngshēng!

Jingle Bells in Chinese – 铃儿响叮当 

叮叮当叮叮当铃儿响叮当,
dīng dīng dāng dīng dīng dāng líng ér xiǎng dīng dāng

我们滑雪多快乐我们坐在雪橇上
wǒmen huá xuě duō kuài lè wǒmen zuò zài xuě qiāo shàng

冲过大风雪, ,
chōng guò dà fēng xuě ,

他们坐在雪橇上
tāmen zuò zài xuěqiāo shàng

奔驰过田野,
bēn chí guò tiányě,

欢笑又歌唱
huān xiào yòu gē chàng.

铃声响叮当
língshēng xiǎng dīngdāng

你的精神多欢畅
nǐ de jīngshén duō huānchàng

今晚滑雪真快乐把滑雪歌儿唱, 嘿
jīn wǎn huá xuě zhēn kuàilè,bǎ huá xuě gē ér chàng – hēi.

叮叮当叮叮当铃儿响叮当,
dīng dīng dāng dīng dīng dāng líng ér xiǎng dīng dāng

我们滑雪多快乐我们坐在雪橇上
wǒmen huá xuě duō kuài lè wǒ men zuò zài xuě qiāo shàng

在一两天之前
zài yī liǎng tiān zhī qián

大雪出外去游荡
dà xuě chū wài qù yóu dàng

打扮美丽小姑娘,她坐在我身旁
dǎbàn měilì xiǎo gūniang ,tā zuò zài wǒ shēnpáng .

那马儿瘦又老
nà mǎ ér shòu yòu lǎo

它的命运多灾难
tā de mìngyùn duō zāinán

把雪橇装进你旁边害的我们遭了殃
bǎ xuěqiāo zhuāng jìn nǐ pángbian hài de wǒmen zāo le yāng.

叮叮当叮叮当铃儿响叮当
dīng dīng dāng dīng dīng dāng líng ér xiǎng dīng dāng

我们滑雪多快乐我们坐在雪橇上
wǒmen huá xuě duō kuài lè wǒ men zuò zài xuě qiāo shàng

那里白雪闪银光
nàlǐ báixuě shǎn yínguāng

趁着年轻好时光
chèn zhe niánqīng hǎo shíguāng

带着心爱的姑娘 把滑雪歌儿唱
dài zhe xīnài de gūniang bǎ huá xuě gē ér chàng

她有一匹栗色马
Tā yǒu yī pǐ lìsè mǎ

它一日行千里
tā yī rì xíng qiān lǐ

我们把它套在雪橇上,就飞奔向前方
wǒmen bǎ tā tào zài xuěqiāo shàng jiù fēi bēn xiàng qián fāng.

叮叮当叮叮当铃儿响叮当,
dīng dīng dāng dīng dīng dāng líng ér xiǎng dīng dāng

我们滑雪多快乐我们坐在雪橇上
wǒ men huá xuě duō kuài lè wǒ men zuò zài xuě qiāo shàng

叮叮当 嘿
dīng dīng dāng – hēi

There we have it, a complete guide to Christmas in China. Songs, vocabulary and everything else in between!

Check out more Chinese songs here!

Now you know about Christmas in China, do you have anymore questions? What about any experiences of your own?

Share them below in our comment section!

5 Fun Facts About Christmas in China

1. China is home to a ‘Christmas Village’

In Zhejiang Province you’ll find a city like no other: Yiwu, aka China’s Christmas Village. This ‘village’ (which is actually a city of 1.8 million residents!) has more than 600 factories that create over 60% of the world’s Christmas merchandise.

In Yiwu you’ll be able to get your hands on everything from Christmas trees to Santa hats and fake snow – not to mention Christmas music is played here continuously all year round!

2. Apples are the food of choice on Christmas Eve

In Chinese, Christmas Eve translates into 平安夜 (Píng’ān yè). Meanwhile, ‘apple’ is 苹果 (píngguǒ). As both words share the similar sound of ‘ping’, Chinese people like to give the fruit to friends and family as a way of wishing them a good and peaceful year.

These special apples have even been given the name 平安果 (píng’ān guǒ), or ‘peace apples’.

So if your Chinese friends are the apple of your eye, don’t forget to gift them a 平安果 on Christmas Eve!

3. In China, Santa plays the saxophone!

What comes to mind when you think of Santa- perhaps a big white beard, warm red clothes and hat, maybe his reindeer and sleigh? It’s probably not a saxophone.

Yet interestingly, in China, Santa is very often depicted as playing the saxophone. You might find him rocking this jazz instrument on cards, wrapping paper or even in statue form.

Perhaps even more interestingly – no one is exactly sure where this idea came from! If you have any theories on why Santa plays the saxophone in China, let us know in the comments…

4. Christmas Day in China is just like Valentine’s Day

As Christmas Day isn’t considered a religious tradition of public holiday in mainland China, it is more of a lighthearted, commerial celebration instead.

Whilst the festive season in western countries focuses on family time, many young people in China feel this is a time to make a romantic gesture towards their significant other.

As such, you may discover the shelves of shops in China around Christmas time are full of stuffed bears, flowers and chocolates and restaurants offering romantic meals for two!

‘Tis the season to be romantic!

5. Santa has sisters, not elves!

In addition to his other China-exclusive quirks, in this part of the world Santa is most commonly assisted not by elves, but by his Christmas sisters!

You may spot depictions of him being accompanied by young women wearing red and white clothing. This is also the case in malls, where Christmas-clothing clad women will there to guide children instead of elves!

Do you know any more fun facts about Christmas in China? Let us know in the comments!

Christmas in China – FAQ’s

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