Tradition welcomes in the new year
Print Edition
Chinese New Year is coming. As the most important festival for Chinese, what customs and traditions do Chinese have during the special holiday?
A term called guo nian (过年) is commonly used nowadays, which refers to the act of celebrating the arrival of the new year in the Chinese calendar. Zhuan shu, or a seal writing style of Chinese character “nian”
(年) is written differently from the simplified version. The he (禾) on top means food while qian (千) at the bottom symbolizes a bountiful harvest.
The New Year’s Eve dinner is the most important dinner for all Chinese. As a family reunion dinner, all members will gather together for the special occasion. Usually, those who are away from home will strive to go back for the dinner. As family is the most elementary structure in the society, its union is believed to be the foundation for fortune and prosperity. The idea has survived for thousands of years. This is one of the reasons for the Spring Festival travel rush, or chunyun.
Rice cakes and rice balls are the two must-have dishes during the Spring Festival. Both are made from rice but the production and cooking methods are quite different. Usually rice cakes are steamed while rice balls are boiled in water. The ball is usually rolled into a 1cm ball with or without fillings. Both dishes are regarded as good luck and fortune due to homophones for promotions and union.
As a tradition, special couplets with lines of poetry expressing blessings and wishes for the coming year are stuck to the sides of doors, a tradition for more than 1,000 years.
The custom of setting off firecrackers goes back even further, over 2,000 years. A Chinese folk tales of a monster which scared people during the Spring Festival. But the loud noises by firecrackers and fireworks chased it away and brought peace and safety.
Visiting families and friends from the first day of the Spring Festival is important. People usually visit their families before paying visits to friends. If people run into an acquaintance in the street, it is a custom to greet and wish each other a happy Chinese New Year. Elders in the family give red packets, envelopes with money inside, to their children or grandchildren.
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