The Chinese New Year is also one of the biggest traditional festivals in Korea. As a Korean daughter-in-law married in China, I have been studying and living in Beijing for a few years, and every time the Spring Festival comes, I miss my hometown of Korea, the Korean New Year and my family in my in-laws' house.
Korea is a very traditional country, and the Lunar New Year is a festival based on ancestor worship and filial piety, and is a day to pray for the safety of the family. Today, Chinese New Year has also been given a new meaning by modern people, which is to give people a moment of peace and happiness by taking a break from the stressful pace of urban life. So, everywhere you go in Korea on Chinese New Year will be filled with joy and good fortune.
There are a lot of traditional Korean customs for the Lunar New Year, such as the traditional makeup, the traditional painting, the blessed strainer, and the legend of catching the ghosts of the night light, and so on. The customs that have been handed down to this day include ancestor worship, yearly worship, deokjeong, moksil throwing and board jumping. Chinese people eat rice cakes for the Spring Festival, and Koreans also have special food for the Spring Festival, collectively known as the "New Year's Meal". The most representative Chinese New Year dish that has been handed down to this day is "rice cake soup". In ancient times, Koreans worshiped the sun, and the white, small, round rice cake slices represented the sun, and eating them on the morning of the first day of the first month of the Lunar New Year meant welcoming the light of the sun. In addition, according to the original religious beliefs, it also represents the solemnity and cleanliness of the time when the old year is over and the new year is over and everything is revitalized and resurrected. In the past, the soup used to be made from pheasant broth, but nowadays pheasant is hard to come by, so beef or chicken broth is used instead. In the central and northern regions, dumplings stuffed with chicken, mung bean sprouts, mushrooms, and kimchi are also popular. In addition, every family prepares foods such as honeyed nuts, cinnamon soup, hakama rice and sliced meat to welcome friends and relatives who come to pay their respects.
Japanese New Year's Customs: Buying Lucky Bags for Good Luck
Japan: The Spring Festival was the biggest festival in Japan in the old days, with every family decorating their houses with pines and cypresses, and the whole family celebrating the New Year's Eve around the fireplace. At midnight, 108 bells are rung at the temple and the next day, they pay homage to each other.
In Japan, there is a New Year's product called "Fukubukuro". Fukubukuro is an opaque bag containing goods. There are many types of bags, including cosmetics, clothing, miscellaneous goods, electrical appliances, and anything else that can fit in a bag. Prices range from 1,000 yen to tens of thousands of yen. The bags are so popular that they are often pre-sold well in advance.
Why are these bags so popular? It turns out, Fukubukuro is very valuable, a thousand dollars in the Fukubukuro, often priced at about 1,000 yuan of goods there are three or four; sometimes a 20,000 yen Fukubukuro, there may be 30,000 or 40,000 yen worth of digital cameras. In this way, buying a lucky bag gives you the feeling of winning a jackpot in the New Year. Of course, there are only a handful of bags that are this valuable, but the thought of winning the jackpot and at least getting their money's worth has consumers clamoring for them.
For merchants, this type of sale has a much different effect than a regular promotion. The general promotion is the consumer to buy goods, buy a few pieces to the consumer to say, while in the lucky bag is invisible, the business can be free to match. For consumers, Fukubukuro is really good value for money. It is said that few Japanese women can resist the temptation of Fukubukuro, and besides, the name Fukubukuro is very attractive. Who wouldn't want to go home with a blessing on New Year's Eve!
Mongolians: eating, drinking, singing and dancing
At the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the Mongolian people, far away from China's northern border, are also immersed in a strong atmosphere of joy.
Historically, the Spring Festival was not a traditional festival for the Mongols, but as more and more Han Chinese came to live in the Mongolian settlements, the customs of the people changed, turning the Spring Festival into a time of joy for the Mongolian and Han Chinese people to **** together and celebrate!
But the same is the celebration of the Spring Festival, the Mongolian people on the steppe and the Mongolian people in the city with the Han people living together have a very different way of celebrating.
Colorful attire
Mongolians on the steppe still keep their traditions alive by dressing up in colorful costumes, bringing out the best food, inviting their best friends and relatives to their homes, and drinking rich horse-milk wine, singing and dancing to their heart's content as they enjoy tender hand-held meats at the grand festival.
The Spring Festival is a great time for the people of the steppe to get together and communicate with each other. Since many Mongolians still maintain their nomadic and romantic lifestyle on the steppe, it is very difficult for them to meet each other in normal times, and with the Spring Festival, friends who have been separated for a long time may be able to meet each other at a horse-racing meeting, or a wrestling meeting.
Regardless of the results of the competition, after a fierce battle on the field of the dragon and tiger, in the private meeting, they will give each other the hatha, each other snuff bottles, in order to express thoughts and blessings of the deep feelings.
Relatives and friends *** with the celebration of the New Year moment, each other may feel strange, because some of the relatives are far away from each other, may be ten years have not seen each other once, wait until the meeting, after the weather face has become unrecognizable!
I have seen a pair of brothers in the same yurt drinking, but each other did not recognize each other, until an old man broke the "organ", the two brothers only tears of joy!
City celebrations
Mongolians growing up in the city, some of them have forgotten their mother tongue and completely Sinicized; some of them are still able to maintain their own ethnic circle, but they have to be influenced by the whole environment and adapt to the trend. Mongolians in the city have a completely different concept of Chinese New Year from that of the steppe, they have their own set of ideas and another set of ideas that they learned from the Han Chinese. Generally they still keep some of their own ways of celebrating, such as eating hand-held mutton, barbecuing lamb kebabs, singing while drinking, playing the horse-head qin, and so on, the Mongolian's own way of celebrating festivals and festivals.
On the other hand, they also have their own way of celebrating like Han Chinese, such as gathering of relatives, gathering of friends, inviting their superiors to their homes to promote their relationship; setting off firecrackers, twisting rice-planting songs, wrapping dumplings, and making new clothes for the children, and other programs.
For the Chinese-speaking Mongolians, the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve and the setting off of firecrackers at midnight on the occasion of the transition between the old and the new year are essential.
The reunion meal is actually based on eating dumplings, which the whole family gathers before the zero hour of the old year to make while laughing and making dumplings. Dumplings on New Year's Eve are very elaborate, starting with the fact that everyone's dumplings have to be the same size, which signifies that the whole family is equal and no one bullies anyone!
The second thing is that you should never be sloppy in choosing the ingredients for the dumpling filling. The dumpling filling for New Year's Eve must have an auspicious meaning. For example, you can't choose beef filling, because no one wants to be too "laborious" in the new year; you can't choose carrots, because no one wants to be more and more foolish; and of course, you can't put in garlic, which is always counted as not enough.
Auspicious dumpling fillings include "flying dragon" meat, horse meat, cilantro, chives, lamb and so on.
These can all be identified with auspicious signs, such as dragon and tiger leaping, ten thousand horses galloping, eating fragrantly and drinking spices, long life, and three sheep opening up.
Celebratory "explosion"
The dumplings on New Year's Eve must be served at the moment when the clock strikes 12 times at midnight, symbolizing the delivery of the old and welcome the new, full circle!
Meanwhile, outside, firecrackers and fireworks explode with the departure of the old year and the arrival of the new. At this moment, the sky is full of colorful flames, full of ears are celebratory "explosion" sound, at the same time full of heart overflowing with the joy of the New Year.
Wearing new clothes is one of the most important things that children care about in addition to the red envelope, although the Mongolian children in the city have been attracted by those ridiculously expensive brand-name, but there are still some Mongolian mothers in order to let their children do not forget that they are the descendants of the Mongolians, they will allow them to wear their own hand-stitched traditional clothing on New Year's Eve, the depth of their feelings, and painstakingly from the clothes of the exquisite patterns and meticulous workmanship. The deep affection and painstaking efforts are reflected in the exquisite patterns and meticulous workmanship of the clothes.
In fact, the New Year is a very important festival for both Mongolians on the steppe and those in the city.
Every New Year, the children of the steppe, dressed in brightly colored costumes, will travel long distances to the city to shop, see new things, buy all kinds of new year's goods, and at the same time, to prepare for the tools of life that will be needed in the spring of next year.
Children growing up in the city rarely know how to use their mother tongue, and when they see their parents talking in a language they don't understand to strange, short, strong men, they are puzzled as to why their parents have to come here every year to find someone to talk to.
In fact, this place is reserved for these "black-faced visitors" from the steppe, while city residents rarely come here to buy anything.
New Year's Eve is indeed different, those who should see each other can always meet at the right time, the right place, meet each other, can hear what they want to hear, speak what they want to say, share their different happy stories.
This will add to the festive atmosphere of the New Year, and also set the stage for next year's reunion.
Vietnamese people celebrate Lunar New Year: glutinous rice and bean paste New Year dumplings
Vietnam is one of the few countries in the world that use the lunar calendar and one of the few countries where the Lunar New Year is celebrated nationwide.
The Lunar New Year is the biggest and most lively traditional festival of Vietnamese folklore. Vietnamese people regard the Lunar New Year as a day to celebrate the old and welcome the new, and usually start to do the New Year's shopping from the middle of December on the lunar calendar, while flowers, rice dumplings, spring scrolls and firecrackers are probably the most indispensable things for the Lunar New Year in Vietnam.
Flower markets are one of the important activities of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. In Hanoi, for example, the flower market starts to bustle about 10 days before the Lunar New Year. Vietnamese people's favorite annual flowers include gladiolus, dahlia, kumquat and peach blossom. In addition to flowers and bonsai, the market also sells balloons, lanterns, toys, New Year's paintings, spring scrolls and calendars, decorating several streets connected with each other in a colorful and joyful way.
Sticky rice, pork and green bean paste are used to make rice dumplings
Vietnamese people are also accustomed to posting spring scrolls during the Lunar New Year. In the past, spring scrolls were written in Chinese characters, but after the romanization of the characters, most spring scrolls are now written in pinyin, where each pinyin character is a square, creating a style of its own.
Also, Vietnamese people love to post the words "Blessing" and "Hei Hei" and images of the stars of fortune, wealth and longevity, as well as traditional New Year's paintings at home to express their wishes and aspirations for the New Year.
Local Chinese must have rice cakes and other foods for the Lunar New Year, and Vietnamese are no exception, with the most national characteristics being rice dumplings and glutinous rice cakes.
The rice dumplings are the same as the ones we eat, but the Vietnamese rice dumplings are square and much larger, usually made with 200 grams of glutinous rice, wrapped with 200 grams of pork and 150 grams of mung bean paste in the center, and wrapped with banana leaves. Legend has it that the rice dumplings symbolize the earth, with the green color showing vitality, and the pork and mung bean paste representing the birds and animals, and the grass and trees.
Vietnamese people used to set off firecrackers on Lunar New Year, but since 1995 the Vietnamese government has banned the setting off of fireworks during Lunar New Year.
The Chinese have a custom of observing the New Year's Eve, as do the Vietnamese. On New Year's Eve, people put on their festive attire and rush out onto the streets in unison, with young women wearing Vietnamese cheongsams. The festive atmosphere culminates at zero hour when the national leader's Lunar New Year speech is broadcast on the radio. People then pick a branch to take home. This custom is called "picking green". In Vietnamese, the words "green" and "loc" have the same sound. "Picking the green" means "picking the Loc", which means bringing home good luck.
The first guest brings good luck on Tet
Vietnamese people usually take a few days off for Tet, and it is also customary to pay New Year's visits to friends and relatives. The earliest visitor to a home is especially valued and is said to bring good luck to the host. The Vietnamese call this "Chon Ka" or "Chon Di", which is close in meaning to "Chon Hai". Therefore, Vietnamese people usually invite their closest and most respected friends as the first guests of the Lunar New Year.
In addition to visits between friends and relatives, during the Lunar New Year period, the streets, parks and public **** entertainment venues across Vietnam, held for several days a variety of cultural and entertainment activities, performances of traditional Vietnamese theater, song and dance, acrobatics, martial arts, wrestling, lion dance, etc., as well as swinging, playing chess, cockfighting, bird fighting and other folk activities, the whole of Vietnam is immersed in a festive atmosphere.
Singapore Chinese New Year: Southeast Asian characteristics
The Lunar New Year is approaching, and in Singapore, where the Chinese population accounts for nearly 80 percent of the population, it is undoubtedly the most important festival of the year, with the strongest atmosphere. Once Christmas is over, the streets and commercial districts are dressed in traditional Chinese New Year attire, with large and small red lanterns hanging high and New Year's paintings posted, all in a festive mood. The traditional Chinese stores in Chinatown were filled with people shopping for New Year's goods, and traditional New Year songs were being played in the streets and alleys!
Chinese New Year Celebrations at a Glance
Chinese New Year Lighting Celebration: From January 15 to February 28, the bustling Chinatown Lunar New Year Market will feature more than 400 Chinese New Year stalls selling a wide range of festive gifts. Shop for Chinese New Year goods and enjoy the rich Chinese New Year atmosphere! Don't miss the countdown carnival on New Year's Eve, February 8, and join the locals in celebrating the new Year of the Rooster!
Spring to Riverside: From February 7 to February 23, Spring to Riverside is a grand carnival that brings in the old, welcomes the new and entertains the whole family! The annual program is exciting, diverse and all-encompassing, and runs for more than 10 days.
Wonderful Dreams Makeup Parade: Feb. 18, 7 p.m. preview, Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m. official parade. Now in its 33rd year, the parade features elaborate floats, fancy costumes, martial arts performances and dancers!
Sentosa Flower Festival 2005: From February 9 to 20, don't miss the Flower Festival at Fountain Gardens, Sentosa! You'll be treated to an array of flowers and tropical nature plants that you'll never see again.
Spring is in the air: from January 13 to February 23, performers and craftsmen from all over China will present a series of exciting programs at Raffles City Mall. This month-long program will allow you to enjoy a blend of traditional Chinese culture and modern styles of music, dance and acrobatics.
Must-try Southeast Asian cuisine
Hainanese Chicken Rice: Steamed tender chicken and rice cooked in chicken broth. Laksa: coconut curry sauce with coarse rice noodles, baby shrimps, egg, shredded chicken and raw clams.
Stir-fried Vermicelli: wide white vermicelli noodles stir-fried with dark sweet sauce, bean sprouts, fish cake, preserved sausage and raw clams.
Fujian Shrimp Noodles: thin noodles, shrimp, sliced cuttlefish and pork cooked and stir-fried. Tandoori Patties: Patties filled with beef or mutton and dipped in curry sauce.
Fish Head Curry: Large fish head cooked with vegetables and curry powder, eaten with rice, sweet and appetizing. It is even more memorable when served with a glass of frozen lemon juice!
Satay: Grilled meat skewers, topped with Malay rice dumplings and cucumber, eaten with spicy peanut sauce.
Rojak: a local salad with fruits and vegetables such as cucumber, bean sprouts, yellow pear, white radish, dried beans and even mango and cuttlefish.
Nyonya Cake: a combination of Chinese and Malay traditions, this dessert is known for its color and flavor, and is made with glutinous rice, cassava, spearmint leaves, and a variety of tropical fruits such as bananas, durians, and coconuts.
Chilli Crab: A delicious seafood dish of tomato curry sauce cooked with hard-shelled crabs, you can follow the custom and dare to eat the white bread dipped in the spicy sauce with your hands, which is so delicious that you can suck your fingers.
Sashimi is another must-try Chinese New Year dish. Fresh slices of raw fish are served in an appetizing Chinese salad with a variety of vegetables, sesame seeds and crunchy nuts.
Must-visit markets
The Chinatown Lunar New Year's Market: Go shopping! With local specialties, the inexpensive New Year's Eve market will give you a stronger New Year's Eve atmosphere!
Lunar New Year's Market: From January 28 to February 8, from 5pm to 10pm, at the junction of Lorong Aso and Hougang Road, the bustling Chinese New Year's Eve atmosphere at the Aljunied-King Wan area will be like a condensed version of Chinatown! The area is filled with colorful lanterns and a wide range of entertainment.
Arbor Centre Garden Party 2005: From January 26 to February 8 and February 12 to March 13, Singapore's largest garden extravaganza will be in full bloom! You'll find everything from artificial flowers to gardening tools, not to mention the beautiful flowers that fill the garden!
Chinese Arts Festival at Esplanade: From February 11 to 20, the Festival, now in its third year, will present the best of the best in modern and traditional Chinese arts, from classical guitarist Xuefei Yang to New York-based dance troupe Shen Wei, taking you into an unforgettable realm of the arts.
Orchard Road: For those who love fashion brands, Orchard Road is the place to shop! Shopping malls such as Suntory Place, Takashimaya, Paragon or Wisma Plaza, and department stores such as Isetan, Metro or Romansun can easily satisfy your cravings and let you enjoy shopping to the fullest!
Must-see attractions
Jurong Bird of Prey Park: Why not take advantage of the Lunar New Year to visit Southeast Asia's largest and most prestigious Bird of Prey Park? After a spectacular bird show and a tour of the park, you can enjoy a must-try "sashimi" meal with your friends and family at FlamingoCafe!
Singapore Zoo: The zoo's beloved mascot, "Sing" the gorilla, will welcome you with his long arms! Just five minutes away, you'll find the world's first night safari at the renowned Singapore Zoo. Step into the dense tropical forest and discover nocturnal wildlife for a thrilling experience!
Asian Civilizations Museum Chinese New Year Celebration: The Asian Civilizations Museum is a great place for the whole family to celebrate Chinese New Year! You can make red envelopes and lanterns by hand and watch the hilarious puppet show.