Holidays

Guide to Holiday Celebrating in China:

Step 1: Get the day off.

The holidays are a time for fun, food, and...WORK!?!?

Yep. Believe it or not, you will most likely be asked to work on Christmas Day. This may come as a shock to some, but most people in China (and Asia in general) don't celebrate Christmas. Therefore employers don't think to let the foriegners off for the day. However, you do have one card you can play.

According to Chinese law, all foreigners are entitled to their usual national holidays. Your employer can not force you to work on your national holiday if you tell them you don't want to work it. Of course you can always work on Christmas or New Years or any holiday you choose, but many will want the extra day off instead.

Step 2: The celebration

Here you will be able to do pretty much whatever you want. If you choose to host a dinner at your place, go for it. If your firiend is hosting, all the better since you won't have to clean up after. Another option is to go out for the night and celebrate with all the foriegners at your local bar or pub. Really, it's totally up to you and the limits of your imagination.

Tips for hosting:

•  Potlucks are a MUCH cheaper way to go. Have every party goer bring 1 dish or drink.
• Make it a BYOB (Bring Your Own Booze) party.
• Visit some of my earlier posts for ideas on main dishes that can be made with local, easy to find ingredients.
• Play music and tell people they can arrive early. This increases the chances of someone offering to help set up the party so you don't have to do it alone.
• If you're not doing it potluck style, try to buddy up with someone and co-host to cut back on costs.

Tips for being to "goer" to a Chinese hosted party:

• If you are going to a Chinese-hosted party, it's OK to bring a bottle of wine or other small gift. Stay away form food as a gift unless you really know the person and the guests.
• Be prepared for a lot of alcohol.
• Arrive on time.
• If it is New Years Eve, be prepared to be both blind and deaf tomorrow.
• Always sample the food, even if you don't like it. It might be considered rude if you don't at least rty the food that is offered.
• Offer to help with the clean up after. You will be told it isn't necessary, but offer anyway.

Tips for being the "goer" at a foreign-hosted party:

• Try to bring a dish or drink to the party to lessen the burden on the host.
• Arrive early or on time.
• Offer to help with the set up and/or clean up.
• It's OK not to try all the food, but try to eat some of it.

Hope this helps. Below are a couple pictures of my apartment decorated for Chirstmas. I will be putting up more decorations in the coming days.