If you don't experience the Chinese New Year for the first time in Brazil, it's easy to ignore that the Chinese New Year in the southern hemisphere is in the summer: I went to the city of Iguazu in Brazil during the Chinese New Year, and I felt the heat steaming from morning to night. This is a particularly fresh experience for a person who grew up in northern China - the Spring Festival in his memory, always wrapped in thick cotton clothes to go out to greet the New Year, rubbing his hands and pasting couplets outside the door, I don't know who used snow to build a "stone lion" on the street, and it melted for many days.
The hot weather is just like the enthusiasm of local residents to spend the Spring Festival with overseas Chinese. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, in the Iguazu Peace Square, the "Happy New Year - Waterfall City Welcomes the Chinese Year of the Dragon" art show is being held, and there are few pedestrians and vehicles on other streets in the small city, and everyone seems to gather here. In front of the stage, a towering tree casts a little shade, and there are not enough seats under the tree, so people stand in the sun, and the stage is surrounded by three layers inside and three layers outside, and many people go out with their families to feel the charm of traditional Chinese songs and dances.
Since 2019, the city of Iguazu has held an official event to celebrate the Spring Festival: in 2023, the city passed a bill to make it an official local holiday. This year, in front of the Iguazu Falls, the world's widest waterfall, the melodious sound of the piano is accompanied by the majestic sound of water, and the red lanterns hanging high add a touch of joy to the magnificent natural landscape.
Recife, a city in northeastern Brazil, made the Chinese New Year an official holiday in 2022. On the eve of the beginning of spring this year, in the Parc de la Lady de Recife, colorful Chinese dragons flutter on the façade of the theater, the magnificent mountains and rivers of China are shocked in the immersive experience hall, and the archaeological blind box and calligraphy experience bring laughter and ......laughter to everyone in the interactive area of the temple fairWith bright lights and brilliant fireworks, the locals feel not only the elements of Chinese culture, but also the concept of peace, harmony and harmony contained in the Spring Festival.
There are many similar celebrations: in São Paulo, Brazil's largest city, a Chinese New Year pop-up event is being held for the sixth time this year; Back in 2016, Rio de Janeiro made the Spring Festival an official holiday ...... the stateIn recent years, the Chinese element of the Brazilian carnival has become more prominent. This year, a samba school in Bellorio Horizonte specially paid tribute to the Year of the Dragon with a "Chinese Dragon" float, integrating elements such as the Chinese zodiac signs and fireworks into the parade phalanx to send New Year wishes to the Chinese people and convey Chinese culture to the Brazilian people.
More than 200 years ago, the first batch of Chinese tea farmers crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to come to Rio to plant tea. Today, the "Chinese Pavilion" built in their honor still stands in Tijuca National Park. More than 160 years ago, a group of Chinese came to the city of Yaperi to build the first phase of the ** railway project under harsh natural conditions, and their descendants still live here today. Overseas Chinese have contributed to the local economic and social development with their industrious hands and perseverance, and have also brought the spark of Chinese culture represented by the Spring Festival to Brazil and taken root.
Dumplings are the most common food on the Chinese New Year table, and in the streets of Brazil, a dumpling-like snack called pastal: a fried dish that often takes the shape of a large dumpling and is covered in a variety of fillings, including the Brazilian favourite beef cheese filling, which is a unique blend of cultures.
One day in Iguazu, we came to a Chinese restaurant and were told by the owner that we couldn't order food at noon. As soon as I asked, because there were so many diners at noon, in order to allow more local residents to eat, the restaurant used the "kilogram rice" fast food format common in Brazil: plates of Chinese food were placed on the table, and diners were free to choose and weigh and pay. Looking around, it was indeed full, and some local diners did not use chopsticks, but were enjoying Chinese food with knives and forks in hand.
Back at Peace Square, it's time for the market. In front of the milk tea stall of the Chinese owner, local citizens waited in a long line to buy it, despite the heat. Amid the sound of gongs and drums, a dragon dance team composed of local youths jumped into the vendors' room with dance steps, drawing bursts of applause from the crowd. At this moment, people are immersed in the peaceful atmosphere of the Happy New Year, and their friendship is deeper and their hearts are closer.