Seasonal celebrations across Asia

As our thoughts in Aotearoa have turned towards the festive season, at the Asia Media Centre we went on a dive to explore both how Christmas is celebrated in parts of Asia and take a look at different sesonal festivals across the region that bring people together.

The Philippines – the world’s longest Christmas season 

When it comes to celebrating Christmas, the Philippines takes the crown. The Southeast Asian country boasts the title of the longest Christmas season - welcome to what is known as the “Ber months”. 

The Philippines celebration lasts four months, or across all the months that end in –ber: September through to December as people celebrate with carols, Christmas markets, and a packed seasonal calendar.  

The Philippines has the longest Christmas period in the world, stretching four months. Photo by Joran Quinten (https://unsplash.com/@joranquinten?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/s/photos/christmas-tree?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)

Alongside the commercial side of Christmas, the Philippines celebrates the religious side – after all, about 80 percent of Filipinos are Catholics.  

Writing about Filipino cultural festivals for the AMC, Rachel Empig said a unique feature in many Philippines festivals was the Spanish influence, particularly the introduction of Roman Catholicism.  

“Because of this religious aspect, many festivals involve attendance at Mass, the presence of a priest, prayers and other Catholic traditions.” 

Paról (Christmas lanterns) being sold, during the Christmas season, in the Philippines. The paról is an iconic symbol of the Filipino holidays. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

“[A] common tradition is Noche Buena, which is celebrated on the night of Christmas Eve all the way through to the early hours of Christmas Day. This involves a Mass at around 10pm and then returning to a family home for eating food and gift-opening at midnight.” 

Traditionally Christmas Day is heralded by nine-day series of masses called Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi.

Fried chicken and record-breaking Christmas trees 

Year after year, Japan often gets highlighted in New Zealand media for its fast food-related Christmas tradition. Fried chicken outlet KFC’s party bucket is the go-to Christmas dinner for millions of families each year, despite the fact that Christmas isn’t a national holiday.  

The chicken is so in demand, most people need to reserve a spot to get their meal, otherwise they face a long wait in line outside.    

KFC’s Christmas success is put down mostly to marketing, beginning in the 1970s when the fast-food outlet first arrived in the country. Takeshi Okawara, manager of Japan’s first KFC, is widely recognised as the driving force behind the national kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii (Kentucky for Christmas) ad campaign.

The exact reason why he started it has never been clear – some stories say he told a white lie and substituted chicken for turkey as a traditional Christmas dish, while the more official line points to him dressing as Santa and seeing the joy it brought as a gap in the Christmas market.   

Moving across Asia, Christmas is a public holiday in Sri Lanka, despite the population being majority Buddhists. Christmas, also called Naththala, is said to have been introduced as early as the 16th century by the Portuguese. 

Celebrations are held across December and at midnight on Christmas Eve, many churches hold a Midnight Mass.  

Sri Lanka also holds the title of ‘world’s largest artificial Christmas tree’, according to Guinness World Records. A 72.1 metre artificial tree was installed in 2016 at the Gelle Face Green carnival in Colombo. The previous world-record-holding tree was 56 metres tall, built in Guangzhou, China in 2015.  

A snapshot of Christmas traditions

For some Asian countries, Christmas is a long-standing tradition, while for others the holiday has grown in size over the years, driven by growing expat communities, clever marketing schemes, or people just looking for an excuse to celebrate. Whether Christmas is a public holiday varies from country to country within Asia, but most have found ways to mark the occasion. Here's a quick round-up of what you might expect to find.

In China, for example, some people see Christmas more as a Valentines Day situation, to celebrate with their partner, while others look to celebrate the day through travel - mostly domestically this year.  

South Korea has a large population of Christians, so there's plenty of religious fare during the holiday season. Santa Claus also makes an appearance, although he's more commonly known as Santa Haranoji and may just as often be seen wearing a green or blue suit. 

Cultural celebrations in the Hindu calendar 

The festivals of Diwali and Holi are two of the biggest on the Hindu lunar calendar.  

Diwali or Deepavali is a five-day festival that usually falls between October and November and celebrates the victory of light over darkness. 

Also known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali stretches back thousands of years and is linked to different myths or religious texts. These stories often revolve around good winning over evil, such as King Rama rescuing his wife Sita from an evil king and returning home, where they are welcomed by millions of lights lit by their subjects. 

Diwali celebrations taking place in Auckland. Photo: ATEED

During Diwali, families come together to share food and people light lamps to banish the darkness. In more modern times, these lights are replaced with huge, city-wide fireworks displays.  

Holi – or the Festival of Colours – celebrates the end of winter with light, colour, and love. Normally taking place around March, the two-day festival traditionally starts with a bonfire night, known as Holika Dahan in some parts of India.  

This act is often associated with the story of Holika, a demoness. Her nephew, Prahlada, is a devotee of Vishnu and she attempts to kill him by fire, relying on her immunity to flames to protect her. However, Vishnu intervenes, protecting Prahlada. As punishment, Holika has her immunity taken away and she burns to death on the bonfire meant for Prahlada.  

A scene of devotees inside Krishan temple Nandgaon during Holi. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barsana_Holi_Festival.jpg)

A scene of devotees inside Krishan temple Nandgaon during Holi. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The following day is Holi and is probably best known around the world as a day full of colour, where people pelt one another with coloured powder known as gulal. The powder symbolises the flickering bonfire of Prahlada and the bright colours welcome spring. Each colour also holds a specific meaning, ranging from love to new beginnings.   

Over the years, the Asia Media Centre has had people write on different significant cultural events across Asia. Here, we’ve republished some excerpts from an article first published in 2018. To read the piece in full, click here.  

The big holidays in Vietnam 
Kate Phong – Co-founder, AUT-Asia Connect Club, Vietnam: 

“The Tết holiday (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) and the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival are major cultural events. 

“During Tết, people traditionally give each other red packets. Chưng cakes and dày cakes are eaten. People from the north display peach blossoms at home, and those from the south display yellow plum blossoms. 

“During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people eat moon cakes. Children play with lanterns and shops put up lantern displays for decoration. 

During the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival, moon cake is eaten.

“There are long holidays such as Liberation Day (also known as Reunification Day) and International Labour Day too, which hold historic meanings to the country. On both days, everyone hangs the country flag at home.” 

The food on the table at Chinese New Year 
Shao Wei, researcher, China: 

“The celebration of Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is filled with customs. 

“Food is essential for a happy Chinese New Year. The dinner on the eve is the most important meal for the festival. It usually consists of eight to 10 dishes. A whole chicken and steamed fish are a must, as the pronunciation of the word chicken (ji) is similar to the word that means auspicious. The Chinese character for fish symbolises prosperity. 

In southern China, spring rolls are eaten on the eve of the lunar new year.

“In southern China, spring rolls must appear on the table to celebrate the coming of spring on the eve of the lunar new year. People from northern China eat dumplings to send away the old and welcome the new year. 

“One of the most exciting moments during the Chinese New Year celebration is to receive ‘hongbao’, or cash-filled red envelopes, from the family’s elders. The money in the hongbao brings receivers good luck and according to legend, also scares illness and evil away. 

Families come together in Korea 
BB Wilson, administrator, South Korea: 

“Many families get together for Seollal (Korean Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Korean Mid-Autumn Festival). 

“Seollal is one of the most significant holidays in the Korean calendar. During this time, many Koreans perform ancestral rites, exchange gifts, wear the hanbok, and play folk games. Chuseok is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in South Korea. Families gather to honour ancestors, spend time with each other, and have great feasts. 

The most significant dish for the Korean Lunar New Year is tteokguk (rice cake soup).

“The most significant dish for the New Year is tteokguk (rice cake soup). In Korean tradition, having a bowl of tteokguk in the morning of the new year makes you a year older – although some people avoid tteokguk precisely because they don’t want to become older. Tteokguk is a broth consisting of beef, vegetables, egg, and rice cakes. The recipe can vary from region to region. Many Koreans also eat galbijjim (braised beef short ribs) during Seollal. 

Read the Asia Media Centre’s story on Chuseok here: Korean thanksgiving celebrated in October 

- Asia Media Centre