Spring has sprung, and for some of us in the Asia Pacific region, we have just experienced Chinese New Year here in Singapore. For some, it may be the first experience, and for others, you may be veterans of the Singapore customs, but in either case, it is full of festivities.
The Chinese year follows the lunar calendar, and is called the Lunar New Year, as it starts at the beginning of the Lunar calendar, which is also the spring season. This is the most important festival of the Chinese calendar, and is full of many traditions which are centuries old. It lasts for 15 days.
The tradition starts about a month before, where people will clean their houses to sweep away any ill-fortune, and welcoming good luck and fortune into the home. Decorations are put up, and these are very symbolic, often depicting words such as “happiness”, “wealth” and “longevity” with the colour red being in abundance. People will also buy new clothes and get their hair cut, so everything is fresh and new for the New Year. Red is a prominent colour at this time, as it represents joy, virtue, truth and sincerity.
This is a time for families, where you reconnect with family and friends that you may not have seen for a while, as well as forgetting any issues that may have occurred in the past year. The festival starts with New Years Eve, where families will get together over a feast for dinner. This dinner is full of symbolic meaning. Dumplings imply wealth as they are shaped like ancient gold coins. Jiu (hard liquor) is drunk to symbolise longevity.
In the morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and they will receive money in red packets. These packets, or envelopes symbolise wealth and luck, and are handed out to the younger generation by parents, grandparents, and even neighbours and friends.
The Lion and Dragon Dances are extremely popular. It is believed that the beating of the drums and the face of the lion or dragon will scare away the bad spirits. So if you have been hearing drums around lately, you can be rest assured that the evil spirits are sure to have been scared away.
