As expected, traditional Chinese festivals are taken seriously and celebrated in a rather bombastic style, with extravagant fireworks, colorful lights, street parades and an endless variety of creative decorations...
Chinese New Year (also known as the Lunar New Year), is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. The festival begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar (usually falls sometimes between end of January and mid February) and ends on the 15th (a day which is known as the Lantern festival), but the preparations for the exciting season start many days before then...
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A small tip from 'Metropolasia-Man':
As one of the biggest and wealthiest Chinese cities in the world, Hong Kong has some of the most extravagant Chinese New Year festivities you are likely to see anywhere in the world... Don't miss it, if you visit the city at the time of the holiday
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Hong Kong's Chinese New Year celebrations are among the world's biggest and most beautiful - A huge carnival of colors, lights and sounds that drags everybody to the city streets. Visitors who manage to be in Hong Kong at this time of the year must not miss the events...
On the days before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning, known as 'spring cleaning'. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Some people give their homes, doors and window-panes a new coat of red paint. The city is decorated with Chinese lanterns and other traditional ornaments, all in red and gold colors that symbolize wealth and prosperity in Chinese tradition. Statues and large dolls of the year's zodiac animal emblazoned everywhere and homes are often decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases.
The Chinese New Year Night Parade is, by far, one of the season's highlights. This stunning spectacle showcases a combination of international and Chinese elements, featuring illuminated floats, dragon and lion dancers, clowns, marching bands, performers from around the world and much more... The parade is organized by Cathay Pacific and for more information, you should visit the following website: www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/showtime/mega/cnyc/cny_02.jhtml
Chinese new year season is also a popular time for shopping. As an integral part of the holiday spirit, everybody buys new things to welcome the new year with; Cloths, shoes, households... you name it. Shops offer irresistible sales and restaurants too have special holiday menus.
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A small tip from 'Metropolasia-Man':
Considered as the "World's Largest Permanent Sound and Light Show", "The Symphony of lights" is a stunning multimedia show, involving 33 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbor. On Chinese new year night, the magnificent show is buffered with spectacular fireworks that paint the sky above the harbor with many colors.
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After the New Year's Eve celebrations are over, the following days are spent with family and most of the city comes to a standstill... Many shops and businesses close down for the holiday. However, unlike Christmas in Europe where you can hardly find shops open on this big day, you can still get food and daily products easily during Lunar New Year.
The holiday itself is marked by visits to kin, relatives and friends, a practice known as "new-year visits"... the doors are open for guests, and friends from different communities are also welcome to pop-in without invitation.
Family reunion dinners are popular too, where members of the family, near and far, get together for celebration. New clothings are usually worn to signify a new year and red packets with some money are given to juniors and children by the married and elders. Tiny mandarin trees are also a popular gift, as they symbolize prosperity... Sweets are eaten (including sweet barbecued meats) and scissors and knives are not used, in order not to cut the good luck...
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Symbols of the Chinese New Year :
Symbols are an important part of Chinese culture, and the Chinese New Year season is when you come across them quite frequently: Scissors and knives are not used, in order not to 'cut' the good luck... New brooms are used to "sweep away" the bad luck from home... New cloths are worn to symbolize a new beginning and sweets are given to the kids, in order to sweeten the coming new year...
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On the holiday's second day and thereafter, it is common to make a pilgrimage to the temples. Chinese New Year is a time to give thanks for the past 12 months and pray for good fortune in the coming year. Visiting the temples on these days is a unique experience, even though they can be crowded.
One popular temple to visit is The temple of Che Kung in Sha Tin, New Territories. Che Kung is a historic hero that saved the southern regions of China from plague and disorder. Daoism regarded him as a god due to his contributions. His birthday falls on the second day of the Chinese new year and the masses flock to his temple to pay attribute and to spin the pinwheel for good luck.
The fifteenth day of the new year (the new year's first full moon) is celebrated as Spring Lantern Festival. Candles are light outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home and families walk the streets carrying lighted lanterns to celebrate the festivities.
Big lantern parades are held in the city's parks and especially in Victoria Park (Hong Kong Island), Ko Shan Road Park (Kowloon) and in Central Park in Sha Tin.
The Lantern Festival is also known as the Little New Year since it marks the end of the series of celebrations starting from the Chinese New Year.
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Ching Ming festival usually falls around the beginning of April. It means "clear and bright" and the name denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime, and also to tend to the graves of departed ones. It is a day to remember and honour one's ancestors. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and clean them. The Chinese also offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, (joss) paper accessories, and/or libation to the ancestors.
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Next in line: The birthday-festival of Tin Hau : Celebrating for one of Hong Kong's most beloved deities
