(China – January 7, 2025) Despite Christmas becoming one of the most popular holidays worldwide, its celebration in China has faced increasing restrictions and even outright bans in recent years. The reasons behind these limitations and apprehensions toward Christmas are multifaceted, ranging from the dominant political ideology to stringent and extreme nationalist cultural policies.
Recently, secondary schools and businesses in various parts of China have issued initiative letters to ban the celebration of Christmas Eve and Christmas. The specific prohibitions vary by region, with some schools banning the exchange of gifts during the Christmas season and others prohibiting the sharing of Christmas-related messages.
An initiative letter from a high school in Hubei stated: “Please do not wish me well on Western holidays because I am Chinese. I am not a Christian, so why celebrate Christmas? I am not one of God’s people, so why celebrate Valentine’s Day? I am certainly not a citizen of the West, so why should I observe western holidays?”
The initiative letter continued: “Consciously resist Western holidays; strictly forbid the exchange of gifts during Christmas Eve and Christmas.”
The No. 5 Secondary School in Lingbi County, Anhui issued a similar call to all teachers and students: “On December 24 – Christmas Eve and December 25 – Christmas Day, it is strictly prohibited to decorate classrooms or other public spaces with Christmas-related content.”
The school’s initiative further emphasized: “Do not imitate or pander to foreign cultures; do not organize or participate in Christmas gatherings or festivities; do not repost TikTok, WeChat, Weibo, text messages related to ‘foreign holidays.’ We hope that teachers and students will set an example by properly regulating their behavior, consciously rejecting foreign holidays, and celebrating our own Chinese festivals.”
The No. 5 Secondary School in Lingbi County explained its prohibition on celebrating Christmas as being: “To practice the core socialist values and guide teachers and students to understand and embrace the spiritual essence of traditional Chinese virtues and excellent cultural heritage.”
An “Initiative to Prohibit Christmas Activities in Schools,” issued by a school named Bo Shi (Doctorate), urged the following actions from all teachers, students, and parents:
- “Teachers and parents should guide children to avoid celebrating Christmas, Christmas Eve, and other foreign traditional holidays, should teach children stories about Chinese traditional festivals to promote and carry forward our country’s traditional cultural heritage.”
- “Teachers should encourage students to create bulletin boards and hand-drawn posters focused on Chinese traditional festivals, avoiding any themes related to Christmas or Christmas Eve.”
- “Learn about national traditional culture from friends and relatives, and refrain from blindly following other countries’ traditional cultural holidays.”
- “Do not participate in celebrations or gatherings related to Christmas or Christmas Eve, and avoid purchasing items associated with these holidays.”
Teachers are instructed not to accept any Christmas gifts, including “peace apples” or similar items. Bo Shi School has prohibited all students and faculty from engaging in any “foreign holiday” celebrations both on and off campus. The school encourages everyone to start with themselves and become citizens who preserve and promote the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation.
Another secondary school issued a similar statement:
- “Classes are not allowed to include content related to Christmas in class meetings, lessons, or other teaching activities.”
- “Christmas is a Western religious holiday. Excessive promotion and celebration of Western holidays on campus may dilute the status and influence of our traditional festivals in students’ minds, which is not conducive to the inheritance and development of China’s excellent traditional culture.”
In addition, a decoration company in Dongying, Shandong Province, issued a notice strictly prohibiting employees from participating in Christmas Eve or Christmas gatherings and forbidding them from sharing content related to “foreign holidays” on social media platforms.
While opposing Christmas lacks a legal basis, a recent directive has provided local authorities with grounds to impose restrictions on Christmas celebrations. In 2017, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued a document titled “Opinions on Implementations of Projects on Promotion and Development of Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture.”
The Opinions do not prohibit the achievements of foreign civilizations nor advocate blind exclusion but emphasizes a “self-centered” approach. It states: “Adhere to exchange, mutual learning, openness, and inclusiveness. Take a self-centered approach, use what is beneficial, learn from others’ strengths while compensating for our shortcomings, and adopt what is good. Neither simply adopt everything nor blindly reject it. Absorb and draw on outstanding achievements of foreign civilizations, actively participate in global cultural dialogue and exchange, and continually enrich and develop Chinese culture.”
The directive suggests: Conduct in-depth “Our Festivals” themed activities. Implement a revitalization program for traditional Chinese festivals, enhancing the cultural significance of festivals such as Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Qixi, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chongyang Festival, to form new festive customs.
China’s Constitution guarantees its citizens freedom of belief, with Christianity and Catholicism recognized as two of the five religions protected under the Constitution. However, Christian religions remain under strict official control.
China has not officially banned Christmas, but the celebration of the holiday has neither been prioritized nor widely embraced, and it is increasingly rejected. While Christmas has become popular in urban areas as part of commercial and social cultural activities, authorities in some regions have taken measures to curb these celebrations. This stems from a desire to emphasize Chinese cultural traditions instead of foreign influences.
(Reported By Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)