AThe smiling face of Santa Claus（圣诞老人）is omnipresent（无所不在的）all across China. Local governments are decorating trees and lamp posts with lights and ornaments. At first glance visitors would think they were in Europe.Despite the fact that most Chinese are not Christians, Christmas season has become increasingly popular."If you walked around major Chinese cities 15 years ago, you wouldn`t have seen many signs of Christmas. However, if you were to visit those same Chinese cities again today, you`d be surprised to see signs of Christmas almost everywhere," says Cai Jiming, a professor with Tsinghua University, who has served as an expert in developing China`s holiday schedule.Although Christmas is not a public holiday, many Chinese cities are still getting into the Christmas spirit.Cai says his e-mail inbox and cell phone have been flooded with messages wishing him a merry Christmas. The greetings have been coming in since the end of November.In his view, Christmas seems like a "warm-up" for the truly important month-long Spring Festival, which begins on Feb 3 next year.However, despite the prevalence of Christmas celebrations, for most Chinese, it neither means a religious celebration nor an occasion（时机）for family reunions. Instead, it is a time for relaxing with friends, a time to shop, a time to have a party and it is especially a time for romance."I expect my boyfriend to take me out on Christmas Eve and I expect a romantic night," says Christine Zhou, 28, a hotel manager in Beijing. "It seems to me that everything associated with Christmas time is romantic." On the streets, rose and chocolate peddlers are vying（竞争）for their business.Christmas has become another V alentine`s Day, and at the same time, more people feel it is a time to reward themselves with good food and a good time.However, as more Chinese join in the Christmas celebrations each year, some feel the Western-based festival is harming time-honored traditions.They fear that passion toward traditional Chinese holidays, particularly among young people, will slowly fade out. But Cai considers it is unnecessary to boycott（抵制） a Western cultural festival."All important festivals in different cultures have now developed into universal holidays," he says, "Just like some Europeans celebrate Spring Festival nowadays, it`s no wonder that Chinese celebrate Christmas.”"As a matter of fact, Chinese culture has developed a lot while embracing cultures from others."BChristmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. The word Christmas comes from Cristes Maesse, an early English phrase that means Mass （弥撒）or festival of Christ. Scholars believe the frequently used shortened form ofChristmas-Xmas-may have come into use in the 13th century. In Greek, X is the first letter of Christ's name, and also represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified （钉在十字架上处死）In the 4th century the Roman Catholic Church chose December 25 as the day for the Feast of the Nativity （耶稣诞辰）. The church chose December 25 for a Christian holy day in the hope of giving Christian meaning to existing pagan（异教的）celebrations of the winter solstice （冬至）. As a result, many pagan customs gradually became part of the Christmas celebration.By the 12th century, Christmas had become the most important religious festival in Europe. In the 19th century, two Christmas customs became popular －decorating Christmas trees and sending Christmas cards to relatives and friends. Many well-known Christmas carols were composed during this period.For most people who celebrate Christmas, the holiday season is an occasion（时机）for gatherings of family and friends, feasting, and giving gifts. The celebration of Christmas became increasingly important to many kinds of businesses. One of the most important Christmas traditions is receiving gifts from Santa Claus. Many young children believe that the presents they receive at Christmas are given by Santa Claus, who is a jolly, white-bearded fat man in a red suit and red hat. According to the story, Santa Claus travels through the air from somewhere near the North Pole in a sled drawn by reindeer （驯鹿）and comes down the chimney （烟囱）to leave the presents. Today, Santa Claus brings presents to children in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Australia. Many department stores hire people to wear a Santa Claus costume and listen to children's requests. In Great Britain Santa Claus is also called Father Christmas. During the weeks before Christmas, children write letters to Father Christmas and tell him what presents they would like to receive. They then throw these letters into the fire. Children believe that if a draft draws the letter up through the chimney, their wishes will be fulfilled.A traditional Christmas dinner in America includes stuffed turkey （火鸡）, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce （越橘酱）, and a variety of other dishes. Roast turkey is the most popular main course not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Some families have ham or roast goose instead of turkey. Favorite desserts include mince pie or pumpkin pie, plum pudding （李子布丁）and fruitcake. Eggnog （蛋奶酒）is a popular Christmas beverage （饮料）in many homes. In Britain, Christmas dinner is eaten at noon, and the dinner usually includes roast turkey or goose, Christmas pudding with mince pies, and accompanied by wine.。
