It is said that eating a peace apple on Christmas eve will bless you with a safe and peaceful year ahead. This tradition of gifting peace apples or “Ping'anguo” on Christmas Eve has become so popular in China that the price of apples rises every December 24.
The tradition of decorating a tree around Christmas time goes back to pagan times. At that time, a tree was decorated with paper, candles, fruit and nuts. The most common fruit used was the apple. As paganism gave way to Christianity, this tradition was adopted as a part of Christmas.
送苹果 (Sòng píngguǒ)
Thus Chinese people see an apple as a symbol of safety and peace and giving friends and relatives an apple as a present is meant to express wishes of good blessings.
Giving apples to send peace
On Christmas Eve, people like to gift apples. Why? The pronunciation of Christmas Eve in Chinese (平安夜 píng ān yè, literally peaceful evening) sounds similar to the word for apple (píng guŏ 苹果). Apples are also less commonly known as píng ān guŏ (平安果), meaning 'peaceful fruit'.
Over the past decade, gifting apples on Christmas Eve has become so popular in China that the price of the fruit has actually risen every December 24. The new (and slightly puzzling) tradition dates back to at least the past decade, reports the Los Angeles Times. But why apples?
One of the most common Chinese Christmas traditions among young people is to send cellophane-wrapped apples as gifts to their friends. The apples are also often sold with printed messages like 'love', 'peace' and 'Merry Christmas'.
Western countries celebrate Christmas with family, but in China celebrations are like Valentine's Day. It's a lighthearted day for young people to go out with their significant others and celebrate with small gifts. They also hang out with friends to go out to a movie, karaoke bar, or go shopping.
Chinese Christmas Food
Like American traditions, those that celebrate Christmas in China have a feast. Rather than turkey and stuffing, the menu would look similar to a Spring Festival fair with roast pork, jiaozi (Chinese dumplings), spring rolls, huoshao (baked roll with or without stuffing), and rice.
It is a game where each person brings a wrapped gift and places it in the middle of the room. The first person then chooses a gift and unwraps it. The next person can either choose a new gift or steal the first person's gift. This continues until everyone has had a chance to choose or steal a gift.
Oranges, kumquats, tangerines and pomelos are common Chinese New Year food gifts because they're believed to bring good luck and happiness. The Chinese words for orange and tangerine closely resemble the words for luck and wealth.
Apple enjoys a "symbiotic" relationship with China, CEO Tim Cook said on Saturday, as the iPhone giant looks to move production out of the country. Cook, who is in China to attend the high-profile China Development Forum, said "Apple and China grew together," during an interview on the role of technology in education.
Pomegranates, also called Chinese apples, help you reach the 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit recommended in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines. At 234 calories per fruit, Chinese apples provide energy that you need to get through the day, and they also serve as a source of water to help you stay hydrated.
iOS in China. Despite Apple's leading market share, Android is still the most popular operating system among Chinese smartphone users, with 78% of the share as of January 2022.
One theory behind the tradition of oranges in the stocking stems from the generosity of Saint Nicholas (also known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle and Old Saint Nick), who was the son of a wealthy merchant and later in life a bishop.
What is this? Some fruits or berries are well known for their association with Christmas. The holly berry, for example, or the white berry of the mistletoe. However, in this article I would like to look at three fruits with less common Christmas associations: apples, cherries and cowberries.
The blousy and vibrant members of the Christmas fruit party, pomegranate, figs and dates lend themselves beautifully to sweet and savoury dishes. Originating from the Middle East, they're used liberally in North Africa and Southern Europe to pep up salads and party food.
Four-leaf clover, engraved pen, Foo Dog, calligraphy pens, hanging mats with calligraphy, Good luck Crystals, Good luck pig, Tea, Porcelain, Pearls, lucky cat, Money frog, Qipao, lucky bells, Prosperity Coin Bells, lucky bamboos.
According to the Chinese gift-giving etiquette, gifts should be well-wrapped. Wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows are fine, especially if they are red (which symbolizes good luck), gold (wealth and fortune) pink and yellow (happiness). It is not appropriate to present a gift in market-like bags.
In China, Santa is known as 'Sheng dan lao ren' (Traditional: 聖誕老人, Simplified: 圣诞老人; means Old Christmas Man).
It's always a very merry Kentucky Christmas in Japan. Every year, millions of families make a beeline for the nearest KFC in Japan and order bucketloads of fried chicken. Children reach in for the best piece of the lot, commemorating what they know to be the most natural tradition–a KFC dinner for Christmas.
1- Merry Christmas!
圣诞节快乐！ Shèngdàn Jié kuàilè!
Holiday Traditions of China
They decorate their homes with evergreen plants, posters, bright paper chains, and a Christmas tree, which they call a Tree of Light, adorned with paper lanterns, flowers, and red paper chains that symbolize happiness.
It is not common in a Chinese household to have Christmas trees or decorations, but outside, especially in big cities, extravagant Christmas trees, lights and decorations will be set out on the streets, in the hotels and department stores.
Chinese Buddhism and Folk Religions
China has the world's largest Buddhist population, with an estimated 185–250 million practitioners, according to Freedom House. Though Buddhism originated in India, it has a long history and tradition in China and today is the country's largest institutionalized religion.