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....
