Religion faced obliteration in China during the decade of the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. Temples, monasteries and almost every religious site was either locked down or destroyed. There was a complete purge of religion and spirituality out of the Chinese people’s minds. Chinese religious beliefs were nearly eradicated for being a relic of the country’s imperial past. However, since the 1990s, religion has been making a comeback in China. Although heavily censored, religious practices have nonetheless been resuscitated to a great degree. But Christmas has always been different for the Chinese. It has been a festival of lights, decorations and of wining and dining.
Businesses in China have promoted Christmas to make financial gains, while the people of China have always liked the uplifting vibe of the festival. China has Christians totalling about 5 per cent of its entire population. But now, Christmas has been cancelled in China. Santa Claus is no longer coming to town, and the only person which can now be celebrated in China is Xi Jinping. It would not be an overstatement to say that Xi Jinping is China’s new Santa Claus.
CCP Bans Christmas Celebrations
The CCP has cancelled Christmas. According to a leaked document, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ordered restrictions on all kinds of Christmas celebrations, including in places of worship. The document says, “The day ‘Christmas’ or ‘Holy Night,’ which is coming, is imbued with deep Western religious culture. Some Western nations rely on their advanced technology and culture to spread their values and lifestyle in China, attracting our young people. Some business enterprises also want to take advantages of this celebration for business, so they create the surrounding feeling and social impact of this Western ‘feast.’ This is damaging our traditional Chinese culture.”
Meanwhile, the CCP has mandated every Chinese citizen to celebrate Xi Jinping. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA) affirmed that this Christmas season, there is no better time to remind Chinese believers of the need for “loving the party [CCP], loving the country, and loving socialism.”
People Now Fear Celebrating Christmas
According to the South China Morning Post, with the crackdown of private education centres having taken effect, the Christmas cheer is evaporating out of China. Public schools in China do not celebrate non-Chinese holidays. But private education centres did, at least until Xi Jinping did not ban them. Now, these centres have been shut, and children in China suddenly find the Christmas festivities close to non-existent.
SCMP reported how local governments in China have been trying to cool the public zest to celebrate the Christian holiday. Schools and universities across the nation have been instructed by education authorities not to celebrate “Western festivals”. Even shops and malls must maintain a “low profile” when it comes to decorations related to Christmas.
Read more: ‘Support the CCP or we will ban you,’ Jinping’s message to religious leaders in China
Peter Li, a civil servant in Beijing, said he would not buy a Christmas tree for his two daughters this year to “avoid trouble”. He told SCMP, “Many colleagues and friends are boycotting Christmas to demonstrate their patriotism after watching [Korean war epic] The Battle at Lake Changjin in October. Though I enjoy decorating the tree with my kids, I’ve decided we will no longer celebrate Christmas for the sake of political correctness.”
Meanwhile, those who are still celebrating the Christian holiday are being hounded by ultra-nationalist jingoists of the Chinese Communist Party. On social media, these people, who still choose to celebrate Christmas – even in non-religious ways – are targeted by CCP stooges.
Xi Jinping has come. This year, he has banned Christmas. Stay tuned to know which festival the maniac bans next.