Some Traditions Of Mandarin New Year
Get facts on the various ancient traditions that the Chinese bring back to life during New Year celebrations.
The ancient custom and traditions are an integral part of China and as such they take a lot of pride in them. The whole of China together desire to preserve these activities related to their traditions and as such celebrate them from time to time with aim of carrying them forward.
New Year is one time in China when you will observe all types of traditional activities. In fact at this time most of what the Chinese people do is connected to their ancient customs. There are a number of things that the Chinese indulge in which are a part of welcoming a New Year. You will witness many strange customs which will bring this fact to light that Chinese are certainly a race who have preserved their culture well.
There is a deeper reason behind the revival and intricate celebration of these customary rituals. Knowing the press and how they love to project the celebration world wide, the Chinese understand that it really intrigues the western world. Once the west start taking an interest into these mysterious traditions they come flocking to the country to see them. Thus China’s tourism industry gets a boost from these activities.
The traditional celebrations formally begin a night or two before the actual New Year arrives and go up to the 15th day of the first month of the New Year. This is a great time to have fun and do business in China as people are happy and cheerful and willing to spend their money as well!
Every home receives a systematic cleaning for welcoming the New Year. The ill fortunes of last year are thrown away and the house is beautified and purified for welcoming the good fortune of the coming year.
You will find doors and windows painted in red color in China during New Year. This is particularly done to keep the house safe from ill happenings and evil spirits as is the tradition.
The New Year is the time when the Chinese decorate their homes with various objects which have traditional significance. Things like couplets and paper cuttings are supposed to bring prosperity and happiness. They have various other things like paintings, scrolls and wall paper designs as a part of their decorative items.
The New Years Eve holds a special connotation in Chinese culture. This day all the family members come together in one place for dinner. A special dish is made for this meal which is known as jiaozi which has dumpling in the boiling water.
Once the complete family is together they eat the dinner and then play a lot of games to keep themselves awake the whole night. In the present times they even watch television which telecasts special program for New Year. They also think that if they keep the lights burning the whole night their parents will have a long life.
The New Year day is extremely special for the Chinese as it is starting point of two week long celebrations. They greet each other, give presents, and take part in Kung fu, lantern parade, concerts and many other things for next two weeks. To round off the celebrations on the first full moon night on the fifteenth day the Chinese have a huge firework display along with dragon dance.
Chinese traditions vary slightly according to geographical regions. If you are interested in learning more about the Chinese new year dragon click on the preceding hyperlink.