The holidays might already be over for most parts of the globe but not for the countries that follow the Lunar Calendar.
Despite the fact that the Chinese New Year is widely celebrated in several Asian nations, celebrations take place all over the world. This celebration is all about wishing everyone good health, happiness, and good fortune in the years to come.
The Spring Festival
Though it's winter in most of China, the Chinese New Year is known as the Spring Festival in China. Commencing at the First Day of Spring, it is the last term of the winter season and the beginning of a new season, as dictated by the cycles of nature.
One of the most significant holidays in China is the Spring Festival as they call it, commonly known as the Lunar New Year or the Chinese New Year by other countries. In the lunisolar Chinese calendar, this is the first day of a new year, and this festival commemorates it.
The Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar and Chinese zodiac will commence on February 1st, 2022, when the Chinese New Year will be celebrated. From January 31 through February 6, 2022, there will be seven days of public holiday celebrations in China, as well as in the different parts of the world that have a Chinese community in it.
It's a time to remember and pay respect to the gods and ancestors, but it's also a chance to enjoy good food and catch up with loved ones. The festivities last for nearly two weeks, from Chinese New Year's Eve through the Lantern Festival, which occurs on the 15th day of the year. While regional rituals and traditions differ significantly, they all have one thing in common: they mark the end of the previous year and welcome a new one filled with luck and abundance.
Chinese New Year Celebrations at Home
The celebration of the Chinese New Year in the Philippines during the pre-COVID era is quite colorful, fun, and loud. Since we have a local Chinese community in Manila, people usually visit the place during this time and witness the different activities, dances, and rituals during the festival.
However, there is quite a big surge of COVID-19 cases these days due to the Omicron variant in the country, everyone is again being advised to avoid going out and stay at home. But you can still find different ways to have your Chinese New Year celebrations at home, safe and healthy with the whole family.
Below are some of the traditions you can do to commemorate the Lunar New Year:
1. Red is the color of the Chinese New Year Celebrations
Yup! You read it right! Red is a potent hue in Chinese culture, denoting good fortune, riches, good fortune, and safety for everyone who wears it. So make sure to advise everyone in your household to get the reddest outfit they have in their wardrobe and wear it throughout the celebration.
On contrary to this, make sure you don't wear any shades of black or white since these colors are associated with loss and bad luck.
Also, you can take this opportunity to decorate your home with red lanterns and other red ornaments that you can find at home—in fact, it’s not a bad idea to put down your red Christmas decorations just yet for this festival!
2. Prepare hong paos and exchange gifts wrapped in red
Who says Christmas is the only time we can only do exchange gifts? In Chinese New Year, gifts of red envelopes of hong paos are the most prevalent. Children and the elderly who have retired are often given these red envelopes which contain cash. It is believed that a whole year of good health and happiness can be bestowed on those who open a crimson envelope during the Chinese New Year celebration.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for gifts ideas that you can give to your loved ones aside from hong paos with money, other popular gifts during the Lunar New Year are alcohol, candies, fruits, and teas.
3. Let’s get loud!
It’s not just during the New Year that we can be loud as we want. We can also do this with our whole family during Chinese New Year’s Eve! Get some earplugs, then let your whole family make some noise by stomping, yelling, and banging on pots and pans to create a racket to drive away evil spirits out of your homes.
4. Turn on the TV and watch some lion and dragon dances
During the Chinese New Year celebrations, lion and dragon dances, as well as spring festival gala, may be seen all around China and in many Western nations' Chinatowns. These kinds of rituals or dances are performed in order to bring good fortune and success in the upcoming year. You can still watch this at home by playing some pre-dated lion and dragon dances to add noise and fun to your home.
5. Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner with the whole family
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, family members are encouraged to spend time together. New Year's Eve is a sacred occasion in Chinese culture. People are expected to be at home with their loved ones to enjoy the celebration, no matter where they may be in the world. 'Reunion dinner' is the name given to the Chinese New Year's Eve banquet. Several generations of the same family gather around circular tables to eat and socialize.
During your family dinner, make sure to include this 7 Lucky Food:
· Fish- believed to increase one’s prosperity
· Dumplings- for wealth
· Spring Rolls- another dish that signifies wealth in Chinese
· Tangyuan or Sweet Rice- symbolizes family togetherness and a stronger family bond
· Good fortune fruit- for fullness and wealth
· Niangao or Glutinous Rice Cake- for higher income or a higher position at work
· Longevity Noodles- for happiness and long life of everyone
Talking about luck and good fortune, there is nothing much luckier and fortunate if you can celebrate the Chinese New Year in your brand new house and lot.
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