Americans: A Lover of Hilarity
In the U.S., a melting pot of cultures, more and more Americans are becoming increasingly interested in the traditional Chinese culture represented by the Spring Festival, as the number of overseas Chinese and Chinese-Americans grows, and as China's position in the world improves.
In recent years, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, presidents and local elected officials in areas with large Chinese populations have taken advantage of different occasions to extend New Year's greetings to the Chinese people and pay tribute to those who have made important contributions to American society. Following New York State's designation of the Lunar New Year as a public **** holiday a few years ago, Chinese-American legislators in California and the capital city of Washington, D.C., are preparing to introduce proposals to designate the Chinese New Year as a local public **** holiday. Calls have even emerged in the Chinese community to fight for making the Lunar New Year a national legal holiday in the United States at an early date.
Americans love to watch parades and fireworks, and naturally they don't miss the opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year. Most Americans who celebrate Chinese New Year want to get a taste of Chinese culture, and have a chance to savor Chinese food. It is also interesting to note that thousands of American families adopt orphans from China each year, and these families have become one of the most interested in the Chinese New Year in order to ensure that these children from China do not forget their own culture. They decorate their homes with Chinese decorations such as Chinese knots, red lanterns, and spring scrolls for the Lunar New Year, and many of the parents dress themselves and their children in Chinese clothing for the occasion, and are very enthusiastic about the various Lunar New Year celebrations organized by the Chinese community.
British: "Congratulations and Fat Choy"
During the Chinese New Year period, the streets of Britain will be filled with Chinese New Year items. Non-Chinese restaurants add a few "Special Meal Deal for Chinese New Year" dishes, and major British newspapers launch "China Week" to teach people Chinese. London, for example, is full of Chinese New Year celebrations: one year, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, 300,000 people (the vast majority of them non-Chinese) chanted "Congratulations on your fortune" in Trafalgar Square, a scene that made all the Chinese feel very proud. There were dragon and lion dances, fireworks, parades, cultural performances and much more. There were also cultural performances and fireworks displays in both squares. The London police turned the neighborhoods into pedestrian streets, and the celebrations continued throughout the day.
London was literally Chinese for the day, with happy children holding rattles and balloon pigs; men and women who love Chinese food crowding Chinatown*** for Chinese food; young people in the city center using cameras, cell phones and video cameras to capture the dragon and lion dances; and some Britons simply dressing up in Chinese tangerine suits.... ...London has become a China Town. Previously, London has held two Chinese New Year lantern parade. Last year, 100,000 people took part in the event, whose distinctive Chinese cultural characteristics made the parade a great success.
Why is the Chinese New Year so influential in London? According to statistics, there are more than 80,000 Chinese in London, including more than 6,300 international students, who provide indispensable basic support for Chinese culture to settle in London. According to Invest in London: the UK is the largest recipient of Chinese direct investment in Europe, and about one-third of Chinese investment in the UK is in London. In the past five years, the number of Chinese people in London has increased by 45% per year, and consumption has increased by 66%. As a result, the Chinese New Year has received special attention from the British government. The active participation of mainstream society in the UK and the spread of Chinese culture throughout the country, as well as the high level of enthusiasm of the British public, has led to a rapid spread of the festive atmosphere of Chinese New Year in the UK in recent years.
French people: love it from the bottom of their hearts
In recent years, with the increasing economic and cultural exchanges between China and France, the French people have become more and more familiar with the Chinese New Year, and it's no exaggeration to say that the Chinese New Year has quietly entered the families of many French people, and Chinese New Year customs have already become part of their daily lives.
Every time on the eve of Chinese New Year, the streets and alleys of France are decorated with colorful flags, and not only the Chinese areas, but also the town square of Paris will be hung with red lanterns, full of joyful and big red. The festive atmosphere is very strong to welcome the spring and celebrate the new year.
Carrefour and other well-known French supermarket chains will open special counters to sell Chinese food on the eve of the Chinese New Year, and dumplings will naturally be the best seller. Chinese restaurants will also see their annual ordering rush at this time. "The French love to follow the Chinese for New Year's Eve, and restaurants are bound to be full on New Year's Eve night, even with advance reservations." So says Mr. Ye, a Chinese restaurant owner in the 15th arrondissement, where Paris' middle class gathers.
The French people's celebration of the Spring Festival is not just out of curiosity about Eastern culture or simply for the fun of it, but because of their fondness and even their love and admiration for Chinese culture. On the eve of last year's Spring Festival, former French President Jacques Chirac's Spring Festival message to all overseas Chinese residing in France and Europe, who are of Chinese descent, included this sentence: "On February 18th, we will celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year." The simple word "we" undoubtedly reflects the recognition of the Chinese New Year and traditional Chinese cultural practices by President Chirac, who is known to be a "China expert". Other French dignitaries, including current President Nicolas Sarkozy, have said similar things.
Germans: Greeting cards are favored
In contrast to the French, who are highly receptive to Chinese New Year, the Germans show the restrained and cautious side of their national character. They have a curious but cautious attitude towards Eastern culture and Chinese New Year. What's strange is that German teenagers are very interested in Chinese New Year, and their parents are optimistic about it, even encouraging and supportive.
In recent years, the streets of Germany have been filled with a festive atmosphere at the time of the Chinese New Year. In Berlin's shopping malls, colorful Chinese and German New Year's cards are displayed prominently on the eve of the festival. One kind of card is favored by German customers because of its novel and beautiful design. On the top left corner of the cover of the card is printed "Ping An" in two big golden Chinese characters in block letters, and on the bottom left corner is the flowery "Good Luck, Everything Goes Well", and in the middle of the card is the Chinese translation of a Western name written in Chinese block letters. When you open the card, there is a flying phoenix on the left side, and on the right side there is a German explanation of the name on the cover, e.g. Christine, which means a beautiful, thoughtful woman who thinks of others in every way. At the bottom are the words of Confucius in German: "Parents are here, don't travel far." On the back of the card is a picture of a dragon, the symbol of the Chinese nation.
On the eve of the Chinese New Year, many Germans scramble to buy these cards, either to give to friends as a sign of good luck or to collect for themselves. German teenagers also like to give these cards to each other to show their individuality.
Additionally, the Chinese New Year is featured in textbooks for German primary school students. In the English textbook for the fourth grade, there is a special lesson on Chinese New Year, which is scheduled to be taught just before the Chinese New Year. The teacher's program is also quite interesting. After an introduction to the Chinese New Year, each student is given a questionnaire with the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, "Congratulations to the rich" and the Chinese zodiac chronology, so that they can deepen their understanding of the Chinese New Year by answering the questions.
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