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Friday, February 4, 2011
The firecrackers, shopping, colours, lantern shows, happiness and myths are few elements, which appear in my mind as soon as I listen to the word ‘Chinese New Year’ commonly known as the spring festival. It is a time to remember the family and wish everyone peace and prosperity in the coming year.
The Chinese New Year is the most significant traditional festival of Chinese, which is celebrated with fervour and enthusiasm in all over China as well as in the countries having significant Chinese ethnicity like Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and China towns of the world. In the Gregorian calendar, ‘Chinese New Year’ falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. As Chinese calendar is based on lunisolar system, therefore, the ‘Chinese New Year’ is starting this year from February 3rd and it will be a 4709th year on the Chinese Calendar. Following the cycle of twelve years, each year is named after an animal and this year is known as ‘Year of Rabbit’, which is believed that the people getting born in this year will be affectionate, gentle, loving and caring.
The New Year phase is the time of biggest migration of people during the two weeks of holidays, moving from cities to their hometown for family reunions, which is one of the most important purpose of the festival. The people collect money throughout the year and wait for this festival to meet their parents back home as well as relatives and friends. The country enjoys shopping boom, exhibitions, festivals and lantern shows. One can see the activities all around prior to the festival. Every person is happy and busy in making preparations for the New Year starting from kids to the grandparents. The environment energy is different during this period from rest of the year, which one can feel if have an experience of being in China during these days.
To give, New Year with fresh start, traditionally people give a thorough cleaning to their homes and decorate with paper cut-outs of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets.
To some places even decorations and home setting is also changed. The biggest event is the grand dinner of the family to show the sign of solidarity and love. After dinner, some families go to local temples, hours before the New Year begins to pray for a prosperous new year.
The first and second day, is a time when families visit the homes of oldest members of their family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. The tradition of gift exchange is also there, when elders give red envelopes having cash to the kids. Per custom the amount of money in these red packets should be in even number, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals. The remaining days of spring festival are also full of activities within and outside the families where love, affection and sincerity dominate the rest of the feelings. The festival’s fifteenth day culminates with the Shang Yuan Festival or lantern show festival, which is an ocean of lanterns. Lantern of different shapes, designs and heights (even 50 m high) attract large numbers of visitors and is a must watch event.
The ‘Chinese New Year’ is not only the beginning of new year or festival to the Chinese nations rather it is a depiction of a great nation who still hold her tradition and observe it religiously in its true spirit. Such traditions need to be kept alive to create a binding force among the families as well in the country. How much an overseas Chinese missed this festival can only be judged from the smile and happiness on his face if you say to him in Chinese ‘Shin nian kuai le’ (Happy New Year)...Try it and you will feel the affection and love on his face which he has for his country and for this festival.
This fifteen days event is not just a festival of entertainment but also a festival of love and patriotism for their nation. It is the time when every born of China makes a promise and commitment to his land that this new year will result in success and glory far greater than the heights they touched in the previous years.
The Chinese New Year is the most significant traditional festival of Chinese, which is celebrated with fervour and enthusiasm in all over China as well as in the countries having significant Chinese ethnicity like Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and China towns of the world. In the Gregorian calendar, ‘Chinese New Year’ falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. As Chinese calendar is based on lunisolar system, therefore, the ‘Chinese New Year’ is starting this year from February 3rd and it will be a 4709th year on the Chinese Calendar. Following the cycle of twelve years, each year is named after an animal and this year is known as ‘Year of Rabbit’, which is believed that the people getting born in this year will be affectionate, gentle, loving and caring.
The New Year phase is the time of biggest migration of people during the two weeks of holidays, moving from cities to their hometown for family reunions, which is one of the most important purpose of the festival. The people collect money throughout the year and wait for this festival to meet their parents back home as well as relatives and friends. The country enjoys shopping boom, exhibitions, festivals and lantern shows. One can see the activities all around prior to the festival. Every person is happy and busy in making preparations for the New Year starting from kids to the grandparents. The environment energy is different during this period from rest of the year, which one can feel if have an experience of being in China during these days.
To give, New Year with fresh start, traditionally people give a thorough cleaning to their homes and decorate with paper cut-outs of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets.
To some places even decorations and home setting is also changed. The biggest event is the grand dinner of the family to show the sign of solidarity and love. After dinner, some families go to local temples, hours before the New Year begins to pray for a prosperous new year.
The first and second day, is a time when families visit the homes of oldest members of their family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. The tradition of gift exchange is also there, when elders give red envelopes having cash to the kids. Per custom the amount of money in these red packets should be in even number, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals. The remaining days of spring festival are also full of activities within and outside the families where love, affection and sincerity dominate the rest of the feelings. The festival’s fifteenth day culminates with the Shang Yuan Festival or lantern show festival, which is an ocean of lanterns. Lantern of different shapes, designs and heights (even 50 m high) attract large numbers of visitors and is a must watch event.
The ‘Chinese New Year’ is not only the beginning of new year or festival to the Chinese nations rather it is a depiction of a great nation who still hold her tradition and observe it religiously in its true spirit. Such traditions need to be kept alive to create a binding force among the families as well in the country. How much an overseas Chinese missed this festival can only be judged from the smile and happiness on his face if you say to him in Chinese ‘Shin nian kuai le’ (Happy New Year)...Try it and you will feel the affection and love on his face which he has for his country and for this festival.
This fifteen days event is not just a festival of entertainment but also a festival of love and patriotism for their nation. It is the time when every born of China makes a promise and commitment to his land that this new year will result in success and glory far greater than the heights they touched in the previous years.
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