The Spring Festival

On the 12th of February 2021, China celebrated its new year, or some people call it the Chinese Spring Festival. I am pretty sure you are confused as to why their new year is in February. According to metro.co.uk “The reason it’s held at a different time each year is that, while our years correspond to the earth’s cycle around the sun, the Chinese year is based around the moon” This is the year of the OX (Chinese zodiac) which represents faithfulness, honesty, and loyalty. To read more about the Chinese Zodiac animals go to the link below.

Now to the fun parts.

The Spring festival is that time of the year where the whole family comes together to celebrate. One of the important things they do is cook/eat together. Mooncake and 饺子(Chinese dumplings) are made on this day. The Chinese dining etiquette is different from America’s because the elder’s seat at the table before anyone and eat first. Everyone else is allowed to eat after the elder says “let’s eat”. The food culture is influenced by Taoism and Confucianism. When friends/family eat together, it shows that they are inseparable. The dining etiquette also shows you respect the food and the person that made it. The host serves varieties of dishes (mostly vegetables) in bite sizes. One interesting thing about China is every region has its way of cooking and spices they use. For example, the Northern part prefers salty, simple, and fewer vegetables, while Central China prefers spicy food with lots of seasonings.

These are weird facts about the festival:

• Do you know that most fireworks are set off on the night of the festival? It is part of the tradition to set fireworks. There is a Chinese myth that states fireworks scare off bad luck and monsters.

• Singles rent a fake boyfriend/girlfriend to show off to the family. To be honest, I see myself doing it too, if necessary. When you have nosy family members that want you to marry as soon as possible, they don’t know that boyfriend/girlfriend is scarce.

• No one showers or cleans on New Year’s Day. Showering on the day means you are washing off the good luck of the new year. On the other hand, it is better to bathe/clean the house the day before to wash off the bad luck of last year.

Spring festival is one of my favorites because I get to learn more about Chinese culture. It is fun to watch performances, listen to stories/myths, and enjoy good food. Please don't forget to share and leave a comment below.