Chinese New Year is just two days away. So I thought why not share some pictures and information regarding Chinese New Year and how we celebrate it! Hope you guys like the pictures taken by me. The write up below is extracted from http://www.yoursingapore.com and I claim no credit for that.
Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year is undoubtedly the most important event in the Chinese calendar.
For 3 weeks prior to the start of Chinese New Year, you’ll be able to soak in the festive mood throughout the island with celebrations in the form of colorful processions, seasonal markets, riotous lion dances and overlaying it all, the excited chatter and laughter of people meeting up, exchanging mandarin oranges for good luck and feasting on special dishes.
Get lucky
Red is undoubtedly the colour of the season. You’ll see it in the scarlet paper packets filled with money that are given to children and younger relatives. You’ll see it in the bright hues of the brand new clothes people are wearing.
Most of all, you’ll see it in homes all over Singapore, thoroughly spring-cleaned and decorated with touches of crimson everywhere – in the lanterns hung by the gates, in the spring couplets adorning doorways and in the bright ribbons adorning kumquat plants, their yellow fruit symbolising ‘gold’ or prosperity.
Feasting with family
The heart of Chinese New Year is ultimately a celebration of home and family, hence gatherings with family and relatives around the dining table are de rigueur.
And nowhere is this seen more clearly than in the tradition of Reunion Dinner, held on the eve of the new year. Family members rush back home (sometimes from very far away) in order to share this one most important meal of the year with loved ones.
The following days are then spent visiting relatives and friends, conveying blessings of good fortune for the year ahead and enjoying time with the ones who matter most.
In Chinese folklore, a mythical beast, ‘Nien’, used to attack villagers every spring. It could only be driven away by the colour red and loud noise. Hence, the festival tradition of lighting firecrackers to ward off the beast.
Article Source: http://www.yoursingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/cultural-festivals/chinese-new-year.html
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