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How to celebrate Chinese New Year
JING OUYANG LI YANG Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is one of the most important annual events in China and involves a number of traditions, some of which are thousands of years old. At first, it might seem complicated for foreigners to understand how to celebrate Chinese New Year but we are here to help guide you through some of the basics. Firecrackers According to folk legend, firecrackers are used to drive away monsters which appear on the eve of Spring Festival. In ancient times firecrackers were made of bamboo which cracks quite loudly when held near a fire. Later, with the invention of gunpowder, fireworks as we know them today were used to drive away evil spirits. At midnight on Chinese New Year’s Eve, the winter sky will erupt with the crackle of fireworks. At least one important male figure from each family will go outside and light 1,000 firecrackers or more. This will carry on through the night, and it’s common to hear firecrackers until the sun rises. Spring Festival couplets A Spring Festival couplet is a specific literary form in China which employs brief and beautiful words to describe the best wishes and hopes of people celebrating the event. On the day of Spring Festival every family will paste the couplets on both sides of the door, adding to the general joyful atmosphere. The couplets are traditionally written on red paper and sometimes they are adorned with beautiful characters such as flowers, lanterns, dragons and Chinese phoenixes. Upside-down “Fu” When gluing the Spring Festival couplets, some people like to print the Chinese character for ‘good luck’ on a square piece of red paper and paste it upside-down on doors, walls and the lintel of a door. “福” means fortune and good luck in Chinese and by placing the symbol upside-down Chinese citizens take advantage of the similar tone of “倒” (upside-down) and “到” (coming) to encourage the possibility that good luck and fortune are coming. The images of gods on walls and doors are frequently observed and these images are used to protect family members from evil spirits. CCTV Spring Festival Gala China’s commercial-free, televised celebration is an absolute must for every family on the eve of Spring Festival. You may or may not be required to watch this TV program during a visit to China during this special time of year. Depending on your Chinese skill level, your Chinese hosts may want to discuss some skits or performances with you. This is where the time you’ve invested in studying Chinese culture will pay off. New Year paintings Legendary stories and best wishes are also showcased in New Year paintings during Spring Festival. Among the paintings are common symbols, such as the chicken which stands for fortune and pairs of fish which mean wealth. The baby symbolises a healthy and increasing population and paintings of historical figures such as Chairman Mao express a belief in great expectations for the coming year. Burning incense at a temple On the first day of the Chinese New Year, thousands of people regularly brave the freezing cold for hours waiting for their turn to burn incense in Beijing’s Yonghegong Lama Temple. They believe that it will bring the whole family good fortune in the coming year and also make New Year wishes come true. Worshipping the God of Wealth Families and businesspeople worship the God of Wealth on the second day of the New Year by offering fruits, cakes and various cooked food to a statue of the aforementioned deity. They also burn worship paper and then–wisely–eat the offered food themselves. People in China believe in several different Gods of Wealth. While some of these are historical figures such as Kuan Kung from the Three Kingdoms Period of China, others are mythological figures. Married women can go back to their own parents on this day to pay a New Year’s visit, whereas married men are free to choose the timing of any visits. Temple Fairs Temple fairs which combine folk art with trading markets are always among the most popular places to go during the Spring Festival. People watch dragon dances, lion dances, stilt walking, worship dances, Chinese magic and other kinds of traditional folk art. Various snacks, such as sugar-coated haws and roasted skewered mutton are also essential in the joyful temple fairs. It is traditional for people go to temple fairs from the third day of the New Year onwards. Red Envelopes Visiting relatives and friends is the main traditional custom during Chinese New Year and children will often receive gift money in little red packages (hong bao), together with the wish for safety throughout the New Year. The most commonly-said greetings are ‘xin nian kuai le’ (Happy New Year) and ‘gong xi fa cai’ (Wishing you prosperity). It is also common for Chinese parents to place mandarins and oranges alongside a red envelope on their children's pillows because their names in Chinese sound similar to those for ‘luck’ and ‘wealth’.
Family: How to get free kids tickets to Shanghai Acrobats at Easton's State Theatre
The Shanghai Acrobats from China, who do everything from foot juggling to unicycle balancing and plate spinning, debut their newest show "Shanghai Nights" at 7 p.m. Friday in Easton. And there is an opportunity for kids to go free. The State Theatre is offering a free child's ticket to families who bring a donation of a canned or non-perishable food item for a food drive. The offer is valid only at the box office or by phone. All donated food will be distributed to Safe Harbor Easton, which helps the homeless. The Shanghai Acrobats have been performing for more than 50 years, and are one of the most influential and competitive acrobatic companies in China. They have won numerous awards at acrobatic and circus competitions. In "Shanghai Nights," the acrobats tell the story of a dreaming boy who discovers a fantasy word and follows a beautiful fairy phoenix on a dramatic adventure. The show includes performers singing like birds, flying through the air on teeter boards, clowning, juggling hats, stilt walking and performing ballet on the shoulders of other performers. There also are performers doing silk aerials, aerial hoop and balancing on stacked chairs against colorful backdrops. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for ages 12 and under. Tickets available at the box office at 453 Northampton Street, Easton, by calling 800-999-STATE or at www.statetheatre.org. Veterans Day celebrations Area attractions are offering special prices and events to honor members of our armed forces on Veterans Day. Crayola Experience in Easton is offering free admission to active and retired military, as well as discounts to their families with its True Blue Heroes program during Veterans Day weekend. Military members with valid ID get in free, and family members get a 50 percent discount Friday through Sunday. True Blue Heroes is offered four times a year — Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Regular admission to Crayola Experience is $19.99 at the door or $16.99 online for age 3 and up. Info: CrayolaExperience.com The National Museum of Industrial History, 602 E. Second St., Bethlehem, will hold a family workshop 1-3 p.m. Saturday to celebrate Veterans Day. November 2016 marks the 75th anniversary of the Bethlehem plant of Bethlehem Steel Corp. receiving an "E" for Excellence Award from the Navy for the plant's efforts in war-related production. The award was highly recognized at the plant in 1941 with a major "E" pennant award ceremony and parade. During the workshop, families can create their own "E" pennant and participate in a World War II artifact show-and-tell. Tickets are $12 for adults; $11 for seniors, students and veterans; $9 for ages 7-17.
Year of the Monkey Celebrated Across the Globe
Fourteen-year-old Chen Yiyue, who is half-Chinese, half-French, has always relished the atmosphere of a Chinese Spring Festival celebration. When her mother invites friends to dine with them during that festival, the table is full of delicious food, ladies all wear red and grandparents give her cash-stuffed red envelopes. Yiyue's father Herve Delmaire immediately fell in love with the festival when they started celebrating it about 10 years ago, and actively joins in the preparations each year, always rushing to decorate rooms with red lanterns. Now, their French friends ask the family each year on what day they celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. For Yiyue's mother Chen Li, the Spring Festival celebration is more than a tradition to keep the memory from her hometown and home country alive. It is also a chance for her husband and French friends to share in the joy and warmth of the traditional Chinese festival, and send good wishes to each other for the next year. The themes of the festival, including reunion, luck, peace, affluence, good health and safety, are all ideals that Chinese people have held for thousands of years, said Feng Jicai, a famous writer and president of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association. In order to be with families at the most important festival of the year, Chinese people travel long distances to go back home, as 2.9 billion trips are expected to be made during this holiday season. However faraway and inconvenient -- even settling with a standing ticket for a 20-hour-plus trip -- Chinese people would not be willing to miss the annual family reunion. They go home, bring gifts, hand out red envelopes to seniors and children, and offer their best wishes to each other for a good year. The festival, an occasion which features exciting family reunions and sincere caring for families and friends, is also known for its inclusiveness, which allows people from across the world to join the celebration regardless of their cultural, racial and religious backgrounds. In New York, a video celebrating the start of the Year of the Monkey made its debut on the screen at Times Square on Sunday, the Chinese Lunar New Year's eve. Thousands of miles away, London planned a variety of traditional Chinese celebrations at the city's largest shopping mall Westfield London, ranging from lion dances to calligraphy demonstrations, lantern workshops to stilt walking. New stamps to commemorate the Year of the Monkey were put on sale in various countries including Canada, France and the United States. The popularity of the festival stems from its positive, universal spirit, which incarnates the best of human nature. The traditions of the festival, such as going home for a family reunion, enjoying food together, getting rid of old clothes and wearing new ones, praying for a peaceful year and exchanging blessings, can be found across different cultures. Both political heavyweights and business tycoons worldwide have already begun to understand the importance of this spirit. In a message sent to the Chinese people on Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the monkey symbolizes intelligence, agility and good fortune, so 2016 is a good year full of hope and energy. "We wish to have a good start from the year of the lucky monkey," Ban said, referring to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. British Prime Minister David Cameron, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, US Secretary of State John Kerry and a lot of other political leaders have sent New Year's greetings to the Chinese people worldwide as well. Facebook hosted top Chinese chefs at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, inviting them to cook dishes at the company kitchen during their Chinese Cuisine Week, which is dedicated to recognizing the Chinese culture and celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, with his Chinese American wife and daughter, even posted a video with new year's greetings in Chinese. In the video, they mentioned a family reunion dinner they held to celebrate the New Year, and wished the audience health and prosperity in the Year of the Monkey. As the world is facing daunting challenges including economic downturns, regional turmoils and refugee crises, the spirit of the festival is needed by the international community more than ever. "Only with family members at home could I enjoy the festive atmosphere and delightful feeling of celebrating the new year," said Sally, a Syrian refugee, who only gave his last name. Sally said his dream was to go back to his home country as soon as possible to celebrate the new year with his family members.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 Elementary students in Fuzhou, Fujian province, received hands-on training in stilt walking on January 13.
2 The students from the Red Bridge Elementary school were trained by Mr. Wang, a performance artist with over 20 years of stilt-walking experience.
3 The security officer-turned performance artist-turned teacher hit the ground running by immediately organising a stilt team at Red Bridge.