Do you return home for Christmas?

I remember in the mid-1990s, my Chinese colleagues would leave the office on Dec 24 earlier than normal with a "Merry Xmas, Lisa!", while I used to work till 8 pm to be able to enjoy a day off on Christmas. They used to leave early to celebrate Christmas Eve in a big hotel, with a banquet, dance and all the other trappings.

Those days, Chinese students would offer a card as a gift to their foreign teachers. But nowadays, many young Chinese stick a big Santa Claus on their door, and it remains there for months if not the whole year. Only last month, I told my neighbor in a lighter vein: "You better remove that image, or this year Santa Claus will not bring you any gift!" He took it seriously.

Children in kindergartens draw Christmas trees for decoration at school and at home, and many Chinese people have even developed the habit of exchanging gifts of all kinds with their friends.

When I ask my Chinese friends "what and why" they celebrate, they say the Chinese never miss an opportunity to eat and have fun in good company. Why not on Xmas then?

In return, they ask: Do you go back home "during the merry Xmas?" as if Xmas was a period, like Spring Festival, which lasts 15 days. As for the word "merry", it is not often used except followed by Xmas.

We Italians have a saying, Natale con i tuoi e Pasqua dove vuoi, meaning that a family reunion is expected on Christmas, but you can celebrate Easter where you want. For us, too, Christmas Eve dinner, comprising 12 or 15 fish and other seafood dishes, is more important than the day of the 25th, a day during which people who have eaten and drunk, and/or narrated stories or played cards all night prefer to rest or sleep.

The Chinese, for sure, know about the link between Christmas and the American roast turkey, but many of them misunderstand that the whole Western world has the same tradition. Many also think that Santa Claus belongs to all Western cultures, which, of course, is not true. Italians, for example, have La Befana, a witch who distributes gifts (traditionally an orange) to good children and a piece of coal to the bad ones on Jan 6.

Also, very few Chinese know that Orthodox (who follow Julian calendar) celebrate Nativity of Jesus on Jan 7. Well, it is not their fault, for even most Westerners don't know that the figure of Santa Claus as we know it today is an American creation of Coca-Cola in 1931.

In fact, Chinese youths who celebrate Christmas in a spirit of love and friendship are reviving the true sense of this festival, while very few Americans I know still honor these values.

But how strange is it that an increasing number of Chinese find Chunjie (Spring Festival) boring? Young girls returning home for family reunions and festivities are afraid of gaining weight because of the sumptuous dinners. Cracking roasted sunflower or other seeds while watching the New Year 4-hour TV show is something that youngsters consider annoying and the social gatherings during the period, tedious.

If they prefer Christmas, it is only because it's new to them. People in the countryside don't celebrate it. The young generation migrates to or stays in big cities where it works, and where there are lots of bars and restaurants and where it is free to do what it wants instead of following traditions. Many say that Western celebrations are more romantic.

Young couples are often taken up by their professional obligations and cite one excuse or another not to go back home for Spring Festival. Some send their children alone to their grandparents while they stay behind in cities to entertain their customers and develop their business relationships.

Do young Europeans follow their traditions? No, not all. But since Christmas is only a one-day affair, it's easier for them to sacrifice 24 hours rather than two weeks that Spring Festival requires.

Last year, I heard that some Chinese were trying to spread Chunjie celebrations among non-Chinese people abroad. For me, to popularize a Chinese celebration among Westerners is as funny as for the non-Christian Chinese to celebrate Xmas. But it's a treat to watch overseas Chinese communities celebrate their festival, with lion dance and fireworks, publicly. And sharing happiness is not a bad thing, right?

The author is an Italo-Canadian writer living in Beijing.

(China Daily 12/23/2011 page9)