In China, Christmas is generally called 圣诞节 (Shèngdàn Jié) , which literally means “Holy Birth Festival” or “the festival of the holy birth.”

What it’s called in Chinese

  • The standard name is 圣诞节 (Shèngdàn Jié), used in Mandarin across mainland China and other Chinese-speaking regions.
  • The characters mean:
    • 圣 (shèng): saint/holy
    • 诞 (dàn): birth
    • 节 (jié): festival/holiday.

Related Christmas terms in China

  • “Merry Christmas” is usually said as 圣诞快乐 (Shèngdàn kuàilè), meaning “Happy Christmas.”
  • Santa Claus is commonly called 圣诞老人 (Shèngdàn Lǎorén), literally “Old Christmas Man.”

How big a holiday it is

  • Christmas is not an official public holiday in mainland China and is mostly a commercial or fun, urban celebration rather than a traditional family or religious festival.
  • You’ll see Christmas decorations, sales, and parties in big cities, but it does not play the same central role as Chinese New Year (春节, Chūnjié).

TL;DR: They call the Christmas holiday 圣诞节 (Shèngdàn节 / Shèngdàn Jié) in China, often translated as “Holy Birth Festival.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.