Charming Spring

Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday. It is also known as the Spring Festival. Chinese New year celebration traditionally run from Chinese New Year Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese Year, to the lantern festival on the15th day of the first month ,making the festival longest in the Chinese tradition. 

Traditionally, the festivities surrounding Chinese New Year was known as the Nian festival ( 年节), which may be understood to as "Festival of the Year", or "New Year Festival"

Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity." Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes.

The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth, officially beginning at midnight. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers and to make as much of a din as possible to chase off the evil spirits as encapsulated by Nian. Until 15 days the festival continues with performing different programs…..

The fifteenth day of the New Year is celebrated as "Yuanxiao Festival" ……or the Lantern Festival…..a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup is eaten this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and peoples walk the street carrying lighted lanterns…..

In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking for a romantic partner, akin to Valentine's Day. Normally, single man or single woman would write their contact number on mandarin oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.

A reunion dinner, named as "Nian Ye Fan", is held on New Year's Eve during which family members gather for celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very large and traditionally includes dishes of meat (pork and chicken) and fish. 

Most reunion dinners also feature this dishes boiled chicken, steam fish, jiaozi (dumpling), mandarin Oranges, melon, niangao, nian gao is made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. The color of the sugar used determines the color of the pudding (white or brown), Noodles, bakkwa, bakkwa is Chinese salty-sweet dried meat, Jerky, which is trimmed of the fat, sliced, marinated and then smoked for later consumption or as a gift, taro cakes, tarpin cakes.

Magnificent fireworks are the main attraction in this festival…Bamboo stems filled with gunpowder that were burnt to create small explosions were once used in ancient China to drive away evil spirits. In modern times, this method has eventually evolved into the use of firecrackers during the festive season. Firecrackers are usually strung on a long fused string so it can be hung down. Each firecracker is rolled up in red papers, as red is auspicious, with gunpowder in its core. Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits. The burning of firecrackers also signifies a joyful time of year and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations.

You can watch some spectacular fireworks and firecrackers Video I shoot during Gong Xi Fa Cai Eve….has been given below…

Traditional Lion Dance program is another important part of this festival…..the interesting thing is from kids and young to old aged people all love the traditional lion dance performance show held during Gong Xi Fa Cai Festival....