Andergram Adventures: Guangzhou International Branch Christmas Party

Christmas is not a holiday that is celebrated in China, however this year there are many more Christmas decorations in commercial areas, hotels and shopping centers, as well as Christmas Carols being blasted over the speakers. Students at the university are very curious about what this American holiday is all about. They try to draw parallels between their Chinese New Year and American Christmas because families gather together for both celebrations. It is quite a leap to explain, especially given the fact that religions conversations and explanations are not allowed to take place. I usually end this explanation with “ I would like to be able to explain this religious holiday to you but your government will not allow me to talk about religion.” That puzzles them also but they have a clear concept about what the government requires!

It has become very clear to me living in China, how much food plays in our holiday celebrations. Sometimes the flavors and aromas of the holiday are more poignant than the other traditions. Christmas food traditions are such a major part of what come to mind. We had sushi, cashew chicken, the best fresh fruit buffet you could imagine, and even a turkey for dinner along with Christmas pudding. It was a very nice spread of food but didn’t seem like Christmas. Santa Claus arrived with gifts for the children and the entertainment was loads of fun. The best part of this Christmas party was the people. There were five continents represented in our little International branch and conversations in many languages were going on in the Canton Mansion. Exciting to learn and listen to others tell their Christmas tradition stories.