Visitors to the Lan Su Chinese Garden this weekend got a special holiday treat: a visit from Asian Santa.
While Asian Santa sports the typical outfit – red suit, black boots, big beard, glasses – he celebrates a slightly different holiday: Dongzhi, the Chinese winter solstice.
Venus Sun, vice president of culture and community for the Lan Su Chinese Garden, said the garden is embracing both traditional Chinese holiday rituals and Western ones. Asian Santa is the representative of that cross-culture representation, she said, arriving not in a sleigh but an ox cart.
“We want to make sure that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, it doesn’t matter what kind of holiday tradition you have, there is a representation for all the young Asian Americans out there to come over to the garden and celebrate the holiday slightly differently,” Sun said.
While Asian Santa will be celebrating some older traditions, Sun said his origins are much more modern. In 2018, Chinese social media lit up with the “Chinese Santa” meme featuring an image of Hong Kong actor Elvis Tsui wearing all red and sporting a white beard, from the 1992 movie “Royal Tramp.” Although the movie has nothing to do with Christmas, social media users spotted the resemblance and the meme took off.
Sun said the garden’s Asian Santa is a little different than the traditional Santa Claus. For one thing he has “fierce” eyebrows in addition to his big white beard. He also wields a powerful hand gesture to offer a blessing to those who visit. But there are some similarities: Asian Santa, like his Western counterpart, loves giving gifts, she said.
Aside from Asian Santa, Lan Su has prepared for the season with golden and red lanterns lining the roofs, and a pop-up market that invites visitors to do some holiday shopping. Meanwhile, the garden teahouse is serving up bowls of congee and hosting tea tastings. The garden’s persimmon tree, which stands in as a Christmas tree, is also flush with fruit, Sun said.
“They’re bright orange colors, almost look like Christmas ornaments but they’re all natural,” she said. “Come before our birds and squirrels get to it.”
Crowds were thin Sunday afternoon but may pick up next week, when Lan Su hosts the first of two Dongzhi holiday parties, featuring lion dancers, live music and other festivities. The holiday parties will take place Dec. 12-13 and 19-20, from 5 to 7 p.m. each day.
Visitors will have the chance to meet Asian Santa at the garden on Dec. 13-14 and 20-21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Photo opportunities cost $5 for each group of six, in addition to the regular garden admission.