"Unforgettable tonight, unforgettable tonight, no matter the end of the world and the cape ......"When the clock is about to strike zero o'clock on Chinese New Year's Eve, along with the countdown, in addition to the Chinese families watching the New Year in front of the TV, thousands of kilometers away in Malaysia, Lin Suhui's family is also looking forward to the arrival of the lunar dragon year.
Lin Suhui is a Malaysian student at Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and this winter vacation, she returned to her hometown of Ipoh, Malaysia, to celebrate the New Year with her family. As in previous years, a few days before Chinese New Year's Eve, Lin Suhui's family began to buy New Year's goods early and carry out cleaning to prepare for the annual Spring Festival.
The Year of the Dragon element in a shopping mall in Malaysia.
You need to buy mandarins, soft drinks, fireworks, and gifts for visiting relatives and friends, and wait until the ninth day of the Lunar New Year to buy sugar cane. When preparing for the New Year, we felt a strong New Year's flavor. In Malaysia's local wholesale markets and large supermarkets, they have put on a "red coat" early, and they are full of elements of the Year of the Dragon.
A wholesale market in Malaysia.
Due to the large local Chinese community, some traditional customs of the Spring Festival have been well preserved in Ipoh, Malaysia. Lin Suhui's grandfather and grandmother were both Teochew, so her home still retains the Spring Festival customs in southern China. "Playing the side stove (Cantonese hot pot) and fishing yusheng are indispensable components of the Chinese New Year's Eve meal. When eating colorful yusheng, we will also say auspicious words while fishing, step by step, prosperous business, happy new year, meaning good luck in the new year. For Lin Suhui's family, the Spring Festival is a reunion and endless laughter.
The Year of the Dragon element in a shopping mall in Malaysia.
2024 is the sixth year after Queen Modestus came to China, and the second year she has come to Henan. Today, Mei Fei is a doctoral student at Zhengzhou University. Spring Festival is no longer an unfamiliar word for this Nigerian girl.
During the Chinese New Year, Concubine Mei would visit the homes of her enthusiastic Chinese friends or get together with foreign friends. In Concubine Mei's view, although family travel is a good choice during the Spring Festival, a Spring Festival that belongs exclusively to Chinese is also quietly underway, which also reflects Chinese's expectations for family reunion.
New Year of the Dragon temple fair in Nigeria.
This year's Spring Festival, Concubine Mei has made some new discoveries. The weather seems to be a little colder than last year, with more snow falling and firecrackers louder. "Not long ago, the Chinese New Year was officially designated as a United Nations official holiday, which means that the Spring Festival has become a veritable world holiday. In fact, before that, Nigerians would also celebrate the Spring Festival. ”
During the conversation, Concubine Mei showed the reporter the New Year** sent to her by relatives and friends in her hometown. I saw that in **, the warm sunshine and the lively New Year's temple appeared in the same frame. Red lanterns and bustling temple fairs ......The Chinese New Year elements, which are most familiar to Chinese, also appeared on the streets of Nigeria, and people of different colors celebrated the Chinese New Year together in a festive atmosphere.
For Concubine Mei, the Spring Festival not only embodies Chinese culture and history, but also highlights the faith and vigorous spirit of the Chinese, and is a world festival that crosses nationalities and brings the heart closer.
New Year of the Dragon temple fair in Nigeria.
Saloni Khatri from India "met" the first Spring Festival in her life in Henan.
Zhao Yue is an international student at Zhengzhou University, and the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon is her first Spring Festival since coming to China. Before coming to China, for Zhao Yue, "Nian" was just a fierce beast in Chinese mythology, people used firecrackers to expel it for peace, and after experiencing it herself, the "Nian" in her heart became more concrete, "'Nian' is a sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve, a brilliant fireworks show in the night sky." ”
Zhao Yue in Zhengzhou Erqi Square.
Red lanterns, red clothes, red couplets, red envelopes, ......In this Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon, Zhao Yue's eyes are full of Chinese red. "Red is the symbolic color of the Chinese New Year, and I hope we can all have good luck in the new year! Zhao Yue said.
The Chinese New Year's Eve dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve is the Indian girl's favorite Chinese New Year ritual. After coming to Henan for nearly a year, Zhao Yue has been "circled" by the food here. When it came to the Spring Festival, she found that everyone's shopping carts in the supermarket were full, and the shops on the street were closed.
Paste Spring Festival couplets, set off fireworks, have dinner with other Indian friends, and go to Erqi Square and CBD ...... with **Zhao Yue changed from a "spectator" to a "participant" during the Spring Festival, joining the ranks of celebrating the New Year and immersing herself in the first Spring Festival of her life.
One is renewed, and everything is renewed. The Spring Festival is like a huge Chinese knot, connecting the world. The unique Chinese culture of the Spring Festival is constantly spreading to farther places, constantly colliding with more sparks. (Zhou Jinmiao).