The Teochew people migrated overseas and also brought the customs of the eight festivals of the year in their hometowns to their residences. Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival are the most grandly celebrated traditional festivals for overseas Chiu Chow people.
Thailand has a large number of Chao people and the atmosphere of the Spring Festival is quite strong. Both Chinese and Thais regard the Spring Festival as an important festival. Although Chinese New Year is not considered a public holiday in Thailand, government departments and banks are still open as usual. However, many companies, especially those run by Chinese, manufacturers and stores, are on vacation during Chinese New Year and usually do not go to work until after the fourth day of the lunar month. Company owners give their employees "red packets" and "New Year's money" before Chinese New Year. The atmosphere of Chinese New Year in Bangkok's Chinatowns - Yew Wah Lik, Samut Prakan and Serangoon - usually starts in the middle of the month of Lunar New Year, and the atmosphere of Lunar New Year grows stronger every day. Merchants compete to offer a wide variety of New Year's goods. Many stores try to display their hottest items in front of their stores or even on the side of the road. Stalls selling Chinese New Year couplets and items for praying to the Buddha are set up one after another. In addition to people from the neighborhood who come here to prepare for the New Year's Eve, wholesale merchants also gather here to buy goods for resale to the mainland. The road, which is usually jammed with traffic, is almost jammed. In Bangkok's large and small stores and firms, there are posters everywhere saying "Prosperity", "Fortune", "Prosperity", "Goods like a wheel", "In and out", "Goods like a wheel", "Goods like a wheel", "Goods like a wheel", "Goods like a wheel", "Goods like a wheel" and "Goods like a wheel". "Prosperous business", "Goods like a wheel of fortune", "Peace in and out" and other colorful signs; all kinds of commodities related to the Spring Festival are displayed in the most conspicuous places. Before and after the Spring Festival, some big shopping malls decorate their outdoor areas with neon lights with the Chinese and Thai words "Xinzheng Ruyi" and "Fortune in the New Year" or put colorful flags nearby, and Chinese music is played in the malls to create a festive atmosphere. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the tradition of paying homage to elders and relatives paying homage to each other has been carried on among the Teochew people to this day.
Vietnam celebrates the Lunar New Year as China does, and the celebration is quite grand. Every year in the Spring Festival, in Vietnam, the Teochew people in both urban and rural areas are full of joy, pay their respects to each other, send "New Year's money" to the young and old, and in the hall of the home on the "Daji" (Teochew mandarin) and olives to welcome the guests. Once the Lantern Festival arrives, Vietnamese Chao people all over the country held a grand cultural event and performances of Shengong Opera, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, the celebration of the Chao folks as the most prosperous. From the fourteenth day of the first month to the end of the month, Ho Chi Minh City, Teochew Nghia Anh Hall Square all over the colorful flags, swinging the melodious tidal music, the city's Unified Teochew Theatre Troupe and the various tidal music groups, every night here in the performance of the Lantern Festival Shengong Opera. Not only attracting local Chiu Chow folks to come to watch, but also Chiu Chow folks from Cuu Zhen, Cian Giang, Thinh Laos, Can Tho, Ca Mau, Chu Duc and other provinces in South Vietnam come to participate in the Lantern Festival activities. Some of them even stayed at the homes of their friends and relatives for several days until the end of the Lantern Festival before returning. On the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, all the Chao people ancient music groups early in the morning in the square to perform lion and dragon dance and other programs, and then parade around the major streets, along the way, the people of all ethnic groups to watch, a spectacular.
Singapore is mainly Chinese, and Chinese New Year is a public holiday, so the atmosphere of the New Year is very strong. Especially in recent years, the Singapore Federation of Clan Associations has vigorously promoted traditional customs, which has set off a fervor of celebration. Before the holiday, Singapore's Boomers, like other Chinese families, in order to receive relatives and friends to pay New Year's visit, families are busy inside and outside the home, cleaned up. Some families also put up Spring Festival couplets on their doors and write good luck couplets to pray for good luck. In recent years, spring scrolls have been gradually simplified in the Chinese community in Singapore. Some people put the symbol of good luck "Spring", "Fu" and other single words as decorations hanging on the door or wall, some also deliberately put these single words upside down, harmonic "Spring to", "Fu to". One month before the Chinese New Year, the "China Town" known as Chinatown, Chinatown, dressed up in bright lights, New Year's stalls all over the street, buy New Year's Day crowded with people also every day. A week before the Lunar New Year, huge statues of the Chinese zodiac were erected along the Singapore River, along with the giant God of Fortune, a Chinese favorite. Songs, dances, operas and jugglers from mainland China, Taiwan and the local community, as well as a variety of Chinese snacks, are all on show.
On the 24th day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar, families prepare sumptuous offerings to worship the God of Zao. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, families are generally busy making cakes and other foodstuffs, which can be used either as gifts or to entertain visiting friends and relatives. Younger generations are expected to give gifts to their elders, such as son-in-laws giving gifts to their in-laws a week before the Lunar New Year. Gifts are given in even numbers as a sign of good luck. In traditional etiquette, the recipients are expected to return the gifts as a sign of appreciation. On New Year's Eve people prepare to get rid of the old and welcome the new by having a reunion dinner around the fire; welcoming spring at 12 midnight and receiving the God of Wealth. People also flock to temples on this day to make wishes or pray for peace.
Like other Chinese, Singapore's hipsters never forget their dead ancestors during festivals, and Chinese New Year is no exception. Offering food or flowers as a token of appreciation is a common ritual adopted by Chinese Singaporeans. The form of ancestor worship may vary according to religious beliefs, but the significance of honoring one's ancestors is the same.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people dress in new clothes and bring two or four "dai ji" (Teochew mandarin orange) with them as they visit their relatives and congratulate each other on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. Traditionally, it is customary for the younger generation to kneel down and give their blessings to their elders. However, for the younger generation of Singaporeans, kneeling is awkward and they no longer follow this custom. Today, it is common practice to hold a pair of mandarin oranges in both hands to bless the elders.
Besides giving mandarin oranges, elders hand out red packets to their underage juniors (according to Chinese beliefs, married people are considered adults) as a sign of bringing good wishes and good luck to them. It is impolite to open the red envelopes in front of the elders who distribute them.
The Lantern Festival is also known as the "Festival of Lanterns", where lanterns are hung, lanterns are displayed, lantern-making competitions and lantern exhibitions are held, and fun is had all night long.
The traditional celebration of Chinese New Year in Singapore lasts for 15 days, giving people plenty of time to pay their respects to relatives and friends. The Chinese New Year comes to an end after the celebration of the Lantern Festival.
In Malaysia, when the hipsters have a reunion dinner for Chinese New Year, there should be whole fish, pig's hand (i.e., pig's front foot, meaning steak in), garlic, green onion, hairy vegetables, lettuce and lotus root (a metaphor for kinship connection). New Year's Eve midnight around the stove, burning incense to receive the God of Fortune, please God of Fortune into the house. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, each family should have desserts, red dates, cinnamon and lilies, and should be vegetarian and not kill. The elders give red envelopes to the children, and the younger generation invites the elders. If you accidentally break the porcelain, to say "peace year after year", "flowers blossom landing", "fou open mouth, big precious" and other auspicious words. You should prepare "Daji" (Chiu Chow mandarin) and exchange them with each other when you pay your New Year's visit as a symbol of peace. Broomsticks and knives are hidden until the second day of the New Year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, you go back to your mother's house to pay your respects. On the seventh day of the month, it is the birth of Ama (the Teochew people call their grandmothers "Mom" and read Ma in the fourth tone). On the ninth day of the month, when the God of Heaven is born, sugar cane should be hung at the door, which is a metaphor for rising higher and higher.
Some overseas Chaozhou people continue to follow the traditional Spring Festival at the same time, but also by the influence of the customs of the place of residence, the formation of a number of new habits with local color.
Thai Chao people meet each other during the Spring Festival, will be hands together salute, "new Zheng Ruyi", "New Year's fortune", has become the most familiar words of wishing. Even if they don't meet each other, they will make a phone call to wish each other a happy new year. Many boomerang associations also on the first day of the New Year, specially organized to the embassy to the Chinese ambassador and officials to pay tribute to the New Year, and formed a habit, year after year.
The first month of the year is also the busiest season for Thai Chiu Chow associations. Chiu Chow hometown associations and clansmen associations around the country, using the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival and even during the first month of the year, to carry out members of the Spring Festival reunion or Spring Festival gala, to liaise with the friendship of the townships, and to promote goodwill and solidarity with the family. Societies have their own fixed activities days, this time of year, the members of the society from all directions, will be a child of the family, get together, *** celebration of the holiday. Some associations of the joint activities, the number of participants can easily be one or two thousand people, many people from outside the special drive hundreds of kilometers to come. In addition to hiring male and female actors and actresses to sing Teochew opera pieces and songs in Chinese and Thai, some members also appear on stage to entertain themselves. In the middle of the gala, the actresses were arranged to sing while scattering flowers to the audience on stage, which was like "the heavenly maiden scattering flowers", attracting children to grab flowers in front of the stage. The male and female actors dressed as the "Land Lord" and "Land Lady", while shaking their fans and saying blessings, amused children and adults alike. The lucky draws that followed brought the party to a climax. Some associations also give awards to the children of their members who excel in their studies, or give out money or gifts to the elders of their associations to honor the elderly. Most of the gatherings of the hometown associations are held in the evening, and some are held at noon. The gatherings of the clan associations are usually preceded by an ancestor worship service in the morning and a party in the evening. Attendees of these gatherings usually have to pay a certain amount of money to order tables: the richer ones donate money to fund the event or provide gifts for the raffle during the gathering. Everyone is very involved, and the scene is swirling with a joyful atmosphere. The older generation of Boomers said that they hold this kind of event every year. Through such activities, so that future generations more or less understand a little bit of Chinese cultural traditions, not forgetting the roots of the ancestral homeland.
Influenced by local customs, the Malaysian Boomers, the Lantern Festival is not to play lanterns, but to the beach will banana citrus thrown into the sea. It is said that once upon a time there was a tradition in Penang and Malacca, where unmarried girls would write their names, choice of marriage conditions, contact address, or write them on slips of paper, stuff them into mandarin oranges, and throw them into the sea on the eve of the Lantern Festival. When an unmarried man catches a mandarin orange, he can choose a suitable person from it to contact and discuss marriage. Over time, this custom has evolved into a local Malay, Chinese and Indian custom where men, women and children can throw bananas to pray for peace.
Chiu Chow associations in Southeast Asia, as well as in France, the United States, Canada and Australia, also organize Chinese New Year cultural parades during the Spring Festival.
The Teochew people in Phetchaburi, Thailand, hold annual celebrations around the Spring Festival, which lasts for two weeks, with the parade on the fourth day of the first month being the most spectacular. The parade consists of gongs and drums, flags, fairies, girls, dragons, lion dancers, as well as foreign bands, trumpets, composed of a vast, all the way to the flags, drums and music, firecrackers, lively and extraordinary. Some Chinese families even bring out the statues of the gods and buddhas enshrined in their businesses or homes to participate in the parade. The Chinese New Year celebrations have become a year-round event in the area, attracting people from other parts of the country to come and watch the festivities.
Paris, France, 13 districts of Chaozhou people, since 1989, in the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, the organization of the Chaozhou Hall, united with other Chinese associations, every year to organize the Spring Festival Chinese Carnival, which lanterns and colorful car parade (Yushen) activities, by the colorful car, gongs and drums team, the Chaozhou band, etc., with dragon and lion dancers, acrobatics, and Chaozhou Opera and other performances. Now the Chinese New Year "Cultural Parade" in Paris has become the local Chinese and French people's **** with the program. During the Spring Festival, the French dignitaries often come to the Chinese people to pay tribute to the blessings of the New Year. 2004 Spring Festival, when France held the Year of Chinese culture, the Champs Elysées in Paris, Chinese cultural parade, Chaozhou Association of colorful car procession to join the ranks of the parade, for the whole event added luster.
The United States of America, Los Angeles, Chaozhou Hall, every year the Spring Festival and other local Chinese together, held the Chinatown Spring Festival Golden Dragon Parade. The Teochew Hall's colorful caravan is fronted by the year's Chinese zodiac shape, symbolizing good luck and prosperity. In the procession, there is a Chaozhou gong team, lion dance team; there are girls dressed in ancient costumes, respectively, carrying the book "welcome spring to receive blessings", "three yang Kai Tai", "spring full of Qiankun", "three stars shine brightly", "a long history" and other auspicious greetings of the colorful flag team; there are also girls dressed as fairies scattered flowers, young men dressed as gods and generals and so on. The directors of the Association distribute red packets along the way. On the first day of the first month of every year, the Chaozhou Association Hall is held in the New Year reunion, firecrackers, to participate in the townspeople to hand out red envelopes. On the fifteenth day of the first month, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., the Borrowing Wealth and Inviting Fortune is held at the Guan Sheng Di Temple, where good believers can invite back the Lixi Daji, the Red Pagoda, the Sacred Lantern, and the Fortune Lantern to go home to keep themselves safe.
2. My family's Spring Festival
When the bell rings to welcome the new year, we Chinese people cry out with excitement, "The new year is here! The New Year is here!" Ah! How wonderful the New Year is! I ran back and forth in my home excitedly, unable to contain my joy. When I ran to the balcony, suddenly, the fireworks flew up to the sky, in a flash, exploded, some like countless shooting stars, some like colorful flowers, some like golden coats, and some like the golden sun, illuminating the earth as if it were day. How beautiful it is!
Today is the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, and a festive atmosphere prevails everywhere! I can see that every house is decorated with lanterns, spring couplets pasted in front of the door, the balcony hung with red lanterns, relatives get together to eat a reunion dinner, raise a glass of wine and toast to wish for the future of work smoothly, learning progress, family happiness! People on the road dressed in festive costumes, dressed up to go to friends and relatives to pay tribute to the New Year. We were no exception! Mom and Dad took me to my grandmother's home to pay tribute to the New Year, a door, wow! They were all there! Second uncle, second aunt, third uncle, third aunt, aunt, uncle, and cousin, cousin, even the little sister of the "little one" also come to join in the fun! The adults are sitting on the sofa chatting, watching TV, we children together hand in hand to the room, play the "hide something" game.
Cousin said seriously: "I now announce the rules of the game is: a person will be a few small things to hide, a few other people to find, all find the person to hide things." We drew lots and finally decided that Cousin would hide 3 Coke bottle caps. Cousin pushed us out of the room, so she hid things on her own ...... After a while, Cousin came out smilingly and said, "It's hidden, make sure you can't find it!" We swarmed in, and I thought: the easiest place to hide something is probably the most hidden. So, I carefully searched every corner, surprisingly there was nothing, in look at my little sister, drilled under the bed, butt pouting outside, little hands groping inside, there was nothing, she just wanted to stand up, "ah ah!" She just wanted to stand up, "Ahhhh!" Just heard her little sister screamed, and then "whimpered", so it turned out that she hit the edge of the bed when she stood up under the bed. So she stopped playing for a while. Ah! One less opponent, but the cousin is not easy to deal with, only to see her in the closet to turn over every piece of clothing, wow! Luckily it wasn't there! But where the hell is it? I scanned around, at that moment, I found something shiny behind the curtains, I pulled the curtains open, yikes! It was a Coke bottle cap! I was so happy that I jumped up and down. When my cousin saw it, she looked unconvinced. But she sped up, looking there and here. I hurriedly proceeded to observe, under the bed where my little sister could not reach, I found another Coke bottle cap, my heart became even more excited, and then I found the last bottle cap under a book. "Whew! It really took me a lot of work!" I said with a sigh, and my cousin, cousin and little sister were all happy for me. Cousin said, "You are so observant!" I heard that, my heart is happy ......