On Sunday, a ceremony was held in Liuhe village, North China's Shanxi Province to "welcome baby Jesus." On this day, local Catholics parade through the streets with a baby Jesus figurine and eventually place it in a nativity scene set up outside the church. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Children attend Sunday school. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A villager repairs a prop in the nativity scene. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Children play outside the village church. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Villagers put up a Christmas tree out in the open. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A woman hits a high note during a rehearsal for local Christmas performances. Photo: Li Hao/GT

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When one enters Liuhe village in Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi Province at this time of year, one can immediately hear the sound of Christmas carols echoing through the streets.

Zhang Jin's shop is located at the entrance of the village. The 28-year-old and his wife were both raised as Catholics.

Normally, they spend their days farming or attending to the shop. But a few times every week, they get up early not to go into the fields, but to go to church.

They are two out of about 7,000 locals that are devoted Catholics.  The religion spread here in the late 18th century and has been passed down in their families for generations. The ancestors of these people were merchants who went to Beijing for business and gradually converted to Catholicism. When they came back to their hometowns they naturally formed Catholic communities.

Many natives of the village don't live nearby anymore, they have chosen instead to work in cities. But during the Christmas season, people flood home.

On Sunday, a large procession was held in Liuhe, in which a statue of baby Jesus was taken from the church to a nativity scene at the entrance of the village. People paraded through the streets, singing songs and playing instruments, marking the start of the holidays.

There are long-held Catholic traditions in the village. Local men and women follow Canon law: the church does not encourage marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics.

In recent years, there have been small changes in tradition. Duan Xiaojing, a 32-year-old woman with two children, said she feels children nowadays aren't as keen on keeping the tradition as her generation was.

"When we were young, our parents were strict on us being devoted Catholics, but we aren't like that, and our children may have their own opinions on this now," she said.