Lighting Up the Holiday: Christmas at Fu Jen

Author: Hedvig Shi

From December 2 to December 7, 2024, Fu Jen Catholic University will host its cherished Christmas Week, a time-honored campus tradition celebrating the holiday season. This year’s festivities will include the ceremonial Christmas Tree lighting, a vibrant Christmas Market, and the caroling event held by six College of Foreign Languages departments, offering the FJU community a warm and cheerful atmosphere to embrace the holiday spirit together.

The concept of the Christmas Market originated years ago, thanks to a former Vice Dean of International Development at the Foreign Language College. Professor Xu was willing to share its origin, “The idea came to me during my tenure. One reason was related to the school’s anniversary.” He stated that the alumni would visit during the school anniversary, especially for department reunions, and naturally, they’d want to eat something. “I thought, how about organizing a market to address this need while creating a unique activity representative of the Foreign Language College?” Another motivation was to add a distinctive tradition to the college’s activities. The professor explained, “In Western countries, Christmas is a traditional holiday with several crucial elements, such as tree lighting, caroling, and Nativity scenes, all of which we already had at Fu Jen. But one important piece was missing: the Christmas Market. In countries like Germany, the Christmas Market is a crucial part of the holiday culture, offering food, drinks, decorations, and the famous mulled wine.” Dr. Xu recalled how much he enjoyed drinking mulled wine during his visits to European Christmas markets. It inspired him to bring this experience to Fu Jen. Therefore, the last piece of the puzzle of Western Christmas traditions at our university was accomplished. However, replicating an authentic European-style Christmas Market in Taiwan would be challenging. “It’s difficult to find European-style food here that captures the essence of those traditions,” he noted. “The aim was to bring a piece of Western culture to Fu Jen, and I’m glad it has become such a cherished tradition.” This year’s Christmas Market is going to continue this legacy, creating a joyful place for students and the wider community to gather together, celebrate, and share the happiness of the holiday.

Another signature tradition of Christmas Week will be the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. It stands out as an iconic symbol of hope and unity, marking the start of the holiday season on campus. The ceremony each year includes speeches from campus leaders, performances by student clubs, and a blessing. It brings the FJU community together under the twinkling lights. Also, the Caroling Event(報佳音) is a traditional event organized by the College of Foreign Languages. The first-year students from six language departments come together to celebrate in a singing contest. Inspired by the biblical story of shepherds hearing the joyful news of Jesus’ birth, students prepare carols in the languages of their own departments. In addition, before the event begins, a parade will start from the Foreign Languages Building towards the Nativity scene in front of the Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Students may also roam around the campus to enjoy the decorations and place their wishes on the Christmas tree. Professor Zhang Xinyu expressed that the competition would deepen students’ passion for language learning and connection to the holiday spirit.

  Many students shared their hopes for this year’s celebration. An English department transfer student expressed her ideas, "Personally, I feel that the Christmas tree on our campus has been getting less and less aesthetic each year. When I learned I got the offer from Fu Jen, as a visiting student, I looked forward to the Christmas tree because I was really impressed by its beauty. This year, I hope we can have a more organized and cohesive color scheme and theme.” She added, “I really like it when people from the Faculty of Theology walk around in Santa outfits, singing Christmas carols and handing out candy canes. I think that is really cute and full of Christmas spirit.” Another student from the English Department said, “I think the Christmas lights every year are quite beautiful, and walking around Fu Jen feels more festive compared to outside. Additionally, the Christmas market hosted by the Foreign Language College each year features booths from different language departments, offering a variety of foods to try.” A student from the Japanese department shared his perspective, emphasizing the significance of the campus decorations: “For Christmas Week, I hope the campus could maintain the Christmas lights—they’re truly beautiful, especially the warm-colored ones. And if possible, I hope the Christmas Market can be expanded in scale, at least to match the scale of our school anniversary celebrations.”

Another reflection was that the Christmas Market could be more festive with a stronger focus on holiday-themed foods and crafts. As one student from the German Department observed, “It’s nice to have a market where we can try exotic cuisine, but I think it would be much more attractive if there were more food stalls selling Christmas-related foods, maybe cuisines from different countries enjoyed during the holidays.”

Christmas Week in FJU plays the role of lighting up the sense of community and holiday cheer among students and faculty members. Besides the scheduled events, the wider community is welcomed to join in through various celebrating events. It is an opportunity to unite the FJU community in celebration and goodwill. An English Department student said, “I believe that Christmas Week is both a continuation of tradition and a starting point for innovation.” She also hopes this year’s activities can continue past successes, provide participants with a richer experience, and spread the love and warmth of the Christmas spirit. As the university lights up with joy and tradition, this celebrating tradition promises to bring warmth and connection to all who participate.