The Oriental New Year Traditions And Activities
find out about the various customs which are celebrated by reviving them during Chinese New Year.
The ancient custom and traditions are an essential part of China and as such they take a lot of pride in them. The whole of China together desire to maintain these activities related to their traditions and as such celebrate them from time to time with aim of carrying them forward.
throughout Chinese New Year you will see most of the Chinese traditions being celebrated in a row. In the commencement of the year most of the celebrations and activities that take place has to do with their age old customs. They practice many traditional activities to give a warm welcome to the year which will start. The activities will also show to the world the deep faith Chinese people have on these customs and thus celebrate then with great zeal to usher in the New Year.
There is a deeper reason behind the revival and elaborate 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 witness them. Thus China’s tourism industry gets a boost from these activities.
The New Year celebrations once they commence carry on for next fifteen days. In fact the celebrations start one two days previous to the New Year. If you are eager to do business in China this is a good time as people love to spend a lot as they are so happy.
The house cleaning ritual is part and parcel of New Year tradition. Chinese homes take a new look and everything becomes shining and clean. All this is meant to drive away the misfortune of the previous year and make the house pure for New Year.
The practice of painting the doors and windows in brilliant red has a deeper meaning which has to do with the Chinese New Year. They firmly believe that the red color will save them from coming to harm and keep all sort of evil spirit away.
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 supper. A special dish is made for this meal which is known as jiaozi which has dumpling in the boiling water.
The family get together lasts the full night as they come together to play different games and in current times they even watch television programs that are devoted to New Year celebrations. A special effort is made to keep the lights on throughout the night as this practice is believed to give their parents a long and healthy 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 several 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 new year customs have changed little over the centuries. If you would like to go to Chinese new year street parades check out the preceding link.
