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...
The Chinese New Year, which is 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 (which 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...
Singapore'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 the city at this time of the year must not miss the events.
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A small note from 'Metropolasia-Man':
Singapore's Chinese community is one of the largest and wealthiest outside of China, so the city's Chinese New Year Celebrations are truly extravagant and impressive...
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On the days before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning, known as the "spring cleaning", in order to sweep away last year's bad luck and make their homes ready for good luck (many would also use brand new brooms). Some people give their 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.
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.
Chinese New Year's countdowns, as well as lion and dragon dances are held at Chinatown and along the Singapore River so these are, really, the right places to hang around at... This is also where you are likely to fins hawkers selling unique holiday foods, such as barbecued sweet meats.
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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A small note from 'Metropolasia-Man':
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.
The fifteenth day of the New Year (which is the New Year's first full moon) is celebrated as Spring Lantern Festival (also known as Chap Goh Mei).
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 also held in various parts of the city
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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Ten days after the Lantern Festival (Chap Goh Mei), Singapore's Chinese community celebrates the Chingay, a massive street parade along Orchard Rd. that looks like a smaller version of the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, with beautifully decorated floats, dancers, clowns, marching bands, street performers from around the world and much more...
Just like in Rio, you can choose whether you want to purchase tickets for the better seats, on the strategically located grandstands, or whether you want to push elbows with the rest of the crowd... (don't worry, its not nearly as crammed as it is in Rio).
For more information and tickets, visit the Chingay website.
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Next in line:
Thaipusam - "An extraordinary parade of Hindu devotion..."
