The Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals of the Chinese nation, representing reunion, celebration and prayer, and is a precious spiritual heritage that has been condensed for thousands of years. With the continuous development of globalization, cultural exchanges between countries around the world are becoming more and more frequent, and the spread and influence of the Chinese New Year abroad are becoming more and more extensive. Every Spring Festival, the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year in different countries is becoming more and more obvious.
Not only the local Chinese celebrate the Spring Festival, but many foreign friends also have a strong interest in the Spring Festival and join in the celebration of the Spring Festival. On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, let's follow the brushstrokes of these overseas Chinese authors and take a look at what the "Chinese New Year's flavor" looks like in different countries.
United Kingdom: Why London is the place outside of Asia where the Chinese New Year is the strongest.
The Chinese New Year in the UK is a very ingenious existence, in such a multi-racial country, the atmosphere of the Spring Festival is well integrated into the British social environment, especially London, which is said to be the place with the strongest Spring Festival flavor outside of Asia.
Walking in Chinatown is no different from walking on the pedestrian street of a domestic tourist city. London's Chinatown has perennial red lanterns hanging high, and it has to be renewed when entering the lunar month, and the street scene is adjusted according to the different zodiac signs every year.
This year, there are all kinds of porridge for sale in Chinatown, and the sweet and salty dispute between the north and the south has died down here, and a hot bowl of porridge has kicked off the prelude to the New Year and warmed the Chinese stomach. Merchants have also launched a variety of dragon-shaped desserts and dishes, and the Year of the Dragon has not yet arrived, and dragons are everywhere.
Major department stores will decorate their stores with "Chinese red".
Local food vendors offer a variety of red gift boxes.
Selfridges and Harrods, London's famous department stores, are more in the eyes of fashion and design to guide everyone to feel the flavor of the Chinese New Year most quickly and intuitively. For example, these two super shopping malls will have a lot of red items during the Spring Festival. A red coat, a red dress, and even red sunglasses. The red decoration is placed in the most conspicuous place, and many big brands will also customize different ** images according to the zodiac sign and place them outside the store to attract the attention of consumers.
For Chinese and overseas Chinese, red is the "basic operation" of the New Year, and for other ethnic groups, red is a very eye-catching color, releasing enthusiastic and unrestrained energy, which can be noticed by consumers at a glance. In winter, especially in the gloomy weather of London, this red is particularly bright and warm. The color tone of Fortum & Mason, a veteran British food department store, is classic turquoise blue, and they duly launched a red tea gift box and biscuit box, which is also a dragon soaring through the clouds, all kinds of square round, tall and low stacked, naturally and comfortably existing in the original blue ocean.
Chinese New Year is also home to London's major museums.
A spike in recreational venues and community activities.
Chinese red has been transformed into color "IP" through the Spring Festival, the Year of the Tiger and the Year of the Rabbit, in Trafalgar Square in central London, the Nelson Column red light show played the Chinese "Congratulations on the New Year" blessing.
On Chinese New Year's Eve of the Year of the Rabbit, Christie's Art Center held the "Great Exhibition of the Rabbit", inviting artists and nearly 4,000 people to experience traditional Chinese arts such as writing blessing characters and cutting paper. This Chinese New Year's Eve, Tate Britain will feature collections of Chinese artists at an evening event, as well as food and DJ performances.
Chinese New Year is not an official holiday in the UK, and there are still plenty of locals to immerse themselves in. Those who wear Tang costumes, comb Nezha's hair, and are busy with **, it can be seen that the "crooked nuts" are enjoying it. Especially for those who learn to write Chinese characters, write their own names with similar pronunciation, elegant Chinese meanings, and beautiful characters, such as a little girl named Daisy, write "Daisy", and be extremely excited.
Huge Chinese New Year parades and lion dances.
It opens in central London on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
Of course, the Spring Festival is the most powerful celebration of the classic Chinese New Year parade and lion dance. This year's parade takes place on the second day of the Lunar New Year, running from Charing Cross through Trafa Square and ending in Chinatown.
The dragon dance in the Year of the Dragon is even more exciting, the dragon is the biggest IP of Chinese culture, not all foreigners know the zodiac, but to let foreigners say the same, it must be the dragon, and even some people who do not understand the zodiac culture and know that there is a "dragon head boss" in China, they all hope that they are dragons. This is simply inconceivable for the Western people in a cultural background where the dragon represents the most powerful people. Let's recall that Raphael, Tintoretto, Rubens, and so on, many masters have painted "St. George Slaying the Dragon", and their dragons are vicious. And the dragon of our Chinese nation, praying for rain to find it, is the patron saint of the agrarian society. Our dragon dance shows the flexibility, momentum, cuteness and intimacy of the dragon, and I really feel that this performance has contributed to subverting the prejudice against dragons in the West over the years.
Local colleges and universities have benefits for Asian American students.
You can skip classes on the 30th day of the Chinese New Year's Eve.
With the continuous improvement of social inclusion and minority voices in society, major universities have in recent years have special benefits for Asian American students on the day of Chinese New Year's Eve, and some teachers and colleges can even agree that Chinese students do not come to class on the day of Chinese New Year's Eve, which will not be counted as absenteeism.
However, at present, our school does not have this policy, even if there is, I should continue to attend classes as usual, in fact, most international students still maintain the most traditional hard and diligent style of Chinese, after all, the Spring Festival is basically the beginning of the new semester, and the plan of the year lies in the spring can not be empty words. Dumplings, the absolute C position in the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner in northern China, have also become the first Chinese cuisine that the British people and even world citizens come into contact with, and they are the "IP" of the famous table. When international students could not return to China for the Spring Festival, a few friends invited foreign students to cook a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, and the activity of making dumplings became an opportunity for invited foreign friends to learn about Chinese culture.
The reason why the Spring Festival is one of the most accepted traditional Chinese festivals by foreigners is because the Spring Festival briefly subverts the "subtlety" of Chinese virtues, as if we finally have a chance to be presumptuous. We can shake off our cheeks and eat "presumptuously", on this day, there is no work and academic pressure, we can watch the Spring Festival Gala "recklessly" and laugh "recklessly", or we can hold hands and shoulder to shoulder intimately** fireworks "presumptuously" dance. In fact, there has never been a fixed form to celebrate the Spring Festival, but it can never be missing to get together with the people you love and love you.
Wen Yixuan (currently lives in the United Kingdom).
Spring in the Distance: How Do Chinese Germans Celebrate the Spring Festival?
The German poet Heinrich Heine wrote in exile: "Home is a soft rope that binds the boat of my soul to a warm harbor." "For the Chinese and overseas Chinese living in Germany, hometown has always been a haunting dream.
In Germany, there is no shortage of surprises during the Spring Festival every year, and local Chinese associations, Sino-German friendship associations and Chinese-funded enterprises spontaneously plan various celebrations that are rich in folk traditions and integrated and innovative.
Sino-German friendship across the ice:
New Year in Düsseldorf.
The long winter in Germany is not only a season of snow and ice, but also a great event for all kinds of winter sports. On January 25th, the German Ice Hockey Professional League (DEL) was held at the home stadium of FC Dusseldorf at the same time as a special Chinese New Year celebration was taking place. Behind this competition is the joint sponsorship and support of local Chinese-funded institutions, Chinese enterprises and Chinese language schools, hoping to let more Germans understand and love Chinese culture and promote friendly exchanges between China and Germany.
It was the first time in my life that I watched an ice hockey game in Germany. The stands around the stadium were full, and many Chinese families invited German friends to come to the game.
Du Chunguo, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Düsseldorf, sent Chinese New Year greetings to the audience in German before the game: "Ice hockey brings us together, and sports bring us closer. We live in a multicultural world, and the Chinese New Year symbolizes a beautiful time for family reunion and harmonious coexistence. This love of peace and harmony is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. ”
Nikki Monte, sporting director of the Dusseldorf Ice Hockey Club, also said: "I am very happy to hear that there are many Chinese fans coming to play tonight, which makes it feel like 'China Day' today. I love experiencing different cultures, especially Chinese dance and **. Munters also hopes that China and Germany can work together to promote the popularity of ice hockey in both countries. "I can imagine that maybe one day we can lead the team to play in China or invite the Chinese ice hockey team to come to Germany for exchanges. It will take time to prepare, but I am confident that it will be a memorable sporting event. ”
In this suspenseful match, Germany's twelfth-ranked Fortuna Dusseldorf defeated third-ranked Straubing Tigres with a score of 5:3. According to statistics, more than 4,600 spectators attended the game that day, of which nearly 3,000 were ethnic Chinese. The ice hockey hall is hung with festive decorations with a strong Chinese New Year flavor, and the Year of the Dragon and the Spring Festival Overture are celebrated during the intervals of the game. The local Chinese community also cooperated with German ice hockey enthusiasts to present wonderful programs such as "singing and dancing on ice". Teachers and students of Dusai Kung Fu School, students from Chinese schools and young athletes from Dusai Ice Hockey Team jointly demonstrated programs such as "Ice Dragon Dance" and "Panda Ice Skating". The German audience saw the children wearing panda costumes and gliding around the field under the leadership of the teacher, and they couldn't help but applaud and praise "This is so cute!" ”
When Fortuna Dusseldorf finally won the game, everyone present stood up and waved their arms, and I was so impressed by the atmosphere that I felt like I was back on the ice in my hometown of Harbin.
There is no nostalgia.
It's a meal of dumplings that can't be dissolved.
When I was studying in Germany, the Chinese New Year was the most painful time for final exams, so don't talk about the Chinese New Year, sometimes even eating and sleeping are very luxurious. But no matter how nervous and anxious I am about revision, as a Northeasterner, I will definitely gather my Chinese classmates to make an authentic pork and leek dumpling together. Although everyone is clumsy to operate, they occasionally have to check on the Internet or simply talk to their parents, and now they are learning to ask: "Is the noodles cold or lukewarm?" Should you put eggs in the filling? How many times do you need to put cold water in boiling dumplings? But when the hot dumplings come out of the pot, everyone will be eager to pick up a dumpling, too late to pour the dipping sauce, put it directly in the mouth, while being scalded haha, while grinning happily shouting "It's so fragrant, that's the taste!" "I didn't forget to wipe my hands on my apron, and took out my mobile phone to send a dumpling ** to my relatives at home.
During the Spring Festival, Chinese families living in Germany are even more joyful and busy. The host of the guest began all the preparations early in the morning, and the kitchen was busy stir-frying, fried rice cakes, fish stew, and roasted meat, and a sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve meal was soon filled with the table. The children happily shuttled around the house with the red envelopes given by the guests, and the first thing on TV was the Spring Festival Gala that was broadcast live simultaneously with China. While feasting on the dinner table, everyone did not forget to complain about the program of the Spring Festival Gala, adding warmth to this Spring Festival thousands of miles away from their hometown.
The Chinese supermarket on the street is full of Chinese New Year goods.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, German colleagues intimately prepared red envelopes for the Spring Festival.
After working in Germany, I would buy a box of "fortune cookies" every Chinese New Year, which was actually an invention of a Chinese restaurant in Europe, with a note with a blessing on it. The first thing I do when I go to work on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I go to each office and distribute the cookies to my colleagues in the company one by one, and then say "Happy New Year" with a smile on my face! "At first, my colleagues were surprised, wasn't the New Year over? Later, everyone gradually got used to having another "Spring Festival", and even some colleagues thoughtfully prepared red envelopes for me in advance.
If you don't want to cook by yourself, you can choose to meet up with friends for a reunion dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the Chinese New Year's Eve. The German city of Düsseldorf can be said to be the paradise of Chinese food in Europe, and each unique Chinese restaurant will launch a sumptuous Spring Festival every year**, which is often not available when booked a week in advance. The Chinese supermarket on the street is also full of special New Year's goods from China, such as red lanterns, various Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters, soft and glutinous rice cakes, and oily roast duck, making people feel like they are in the New Year market in their hometown.
I remember when I was a child, my grandmother often told me, "When you are full, you miss home." "Now that I've grown up, I spend the Spring Festival overseas almost every year, and after a full meal, we have returned to our respective life trajectories. Thanks to the opportunity of the Spring Festival, we can chat with friends we haven't seen for a long time in the local accent, soothe our taste buds with familiar hometown dishes, and turn the hidden homesickness into a New Year blessing when we raise a glass.
Wen Ren Miaomiao (now lives in Germany).
Top 10 essential elements for Chinese New Year in Malaysia.
Malaysia is a country where diverse cultures coexist in harmony, and Chinese New Year is also a national public holiday. To this day, the Chinese, who make up a quarter of the population, still uphold long-standing traditions and customs. Every Spring Festival, from ** to the people, from the city to the countryside, a variety of New Year's celebrations are held, full of guests and friends, laughter. Streets are lined with lanterns and Chinese knots, shopping malls set up stages, Lunar New Year-themed exhibitions are launched, and traditional dragon and lion dances are held throughout the city and countryside.
In Malaysia, the festive atmosphere of Chinese New Year usually begins two weeks in advance. Families are starting to clean up, saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, replacing new curtains and bed linens. The streets of the city are filled with the smell of the New Year, and the malls, shops and streets have long since been renovated and brightly lit. The craze for New Year's goods** is heating up rapidly, and the sound of Chinese New Year songs and blessings can be heard everywhere. Red lanterns, Spring Festival couplets and festive decorations decorate every corner, creating a strong Spring Festival atmosphere.
There are ten essential elements to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Malaysia, all of which reflect the unique Chinese New Year folk customs here.
Element 1: Chinese New Year Song.
"Chinese New Year Song" is the unique Chinese New Year culture and customs in Malaysia. Every year, the Chinese New Year will be launched**, which has become an important "New Year's Gift" for Malaysian Chinese to celebrate the New Year.
Element 2: New Year's cake.
In Malaysia, Chinese New Year is a multicultural blend, and New Year cakes have become an indispensable food for New Year's worship to gods and ancestors. Traditional New Year cakes have gradually evolved into multi-ethnic pastries that have been sold since a month before the Chinese New Year and have become part of people's festivities.
Element 3: Reunion Dinner.
On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is reunited, and the family is reunited. Malaysian Chinese families have a large number of people, and the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is rich and dizzying.
Element 4: Receiving the God of Wealth.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Chinese welcomed the ceremony of "receiving the God of Wealth". On the worship table, the pineapple swings high, indicating the omen of "prosperity". At this time, pineapple has become a must-have fruit for the Spring Festival, meaning a beautiful New Year. There are abundant delicacies on the table, such as fish (more than every year), shrimp (homonym "laughing haha"), rice cake (step by step) and so on to symbolize auspiciousness and prosperity.
Element 5: New Year's greetings.
On the first day of the new year, the noise of lion and dragon dances and the smell of fragrant meals in the kitchen kicked off a new day. The children lined up neatly, gesticulating "congratulations, congratulations", looking forward to the moment of receiving the red envelope.
Element Six: Fishing for Life.
In Malaysia, the unique style of the Spring Festival is reflected in the traditional custom of "Lao Sheng". On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year every year, Chinese families in Malaysia will prepare abundant food for the "Fishing for Life" activity. In addition to fresh sashimi, shredded radish, cabbage, thin crisps, bell peppers, Japanese cucumbers, and more make up a colorful platter. People use chopsticks to hold the ingredients high in the air, saying words of blessing and stirring, symbolizing reunion, prosperity and happiness. This traditional behavior means "the higher the fishing" and "the more prosperous the fishing", which is full of vitality and prosperity. Some families also choose to participate in the "Lao Sheng" activity at the restaurant, which incorporates this custom into the celebration of Chinese New Year in Malaysia, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Element 7: Eat poon choi.
In addition to "Lao Sheng", the Hakka and Cantonese people in Malaysia also have a tradition of enjoying poon choi. Poon Choi is served in a round pot, symbolizing the beautiful meaning of reunion and completeness. Poon Choi, which seems to be simple, is actually quite complicated, requiring multiple cooking steps such as frying, frying, roasting, boiling, stewing, and marinating, which are layered on top of each other. Poon Choi is also a traditional Chinese ritual of clan rituals, with a table of diners sharing a pot of choi, symbolizing a beautiful vision of reunion and happiness.
Element 8: Dragon and lion dances.
In Malaysia, one of the traditional events of the Chinese New Year is the dragon and lion dance. Some of the biggest festivities include dragon and lion dances, which include a high-stakes lion dance, where the dancers show off their kung fu skills and graceful dancing.
Element 9: Worship God.
In Malaysia, "Worship the Heavenly Emperor" is a grand Chinese festival that is especially popular among the Hokkien community as it is the birthday of the Jade Emperor. People prepare a variety of fruits and offerings and go to the heavenly palace to worship. The uniqueness lies in the preparation of sugar cane, which symbolizes gratitude for the past year.
Every year on the eighth night of the Lunar New Year, people set off firecrackers and burn paper money to pray for the safety of the whole family, good health and a successful career. In the early morning of the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, roast pigs, chickens, ducks and sugar cane become the main sacrifices. In Malaysia, it is seen as an event that brings good luck, not only Hokkien people but also Chinese people from other places actively participate in it to wish for all the best in the new year.
Element 10: Lantern Festival "Throwing Mandarins".
In addition to the ninth day of the lunar calendar, there is also a unique custom of the Malaysian Spring Festival, which is the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, also known as the "Chinese Valentine's Day".
In Malaysia, there is a unique Lantern Festival custom called "tossing mandarins", which originated in the northern Malaysian region. In major parks, people hold "orange tossing" activities. Girls will write their names and *** on the citrus, and then the young men and women will head to the lakeside. The woman will throw the citrus into the lake, while the man will try to scoop it up. This custom implies praying to the heavens to facilitate marriage, hoping to find one's true love.
Wen Atai (Guangzhou NUS Study Abroad Consulting Co., Ltd.).