The old Chinese saying "as happy as spending the New Year" might be outdated now in the busy modern world. The Spring Festival is regarded as the most important festival for Chinese people and an occasion for all family members to get together, like Christmas in the West. But many traditional customs accompanying the Spring Festival, however, have weakened in practice.
Setting off fireworks was once the most typical custom of the Spring Festival. People thought the sputtering(爆裂) sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, the activity has been completely or partially forbidden in big cities for years as the government has taken security, noise and pollution factors into consideration.
"In recent years, some cities have begun to allow people to light fireworks during limited hours at the Spring Festival, surrendering to(屈从于) public demand. Respecting folk traditions is a gesture of respect toward public opinion," said Zhou Xing, a folklore researcher.
"As people gain more income and it becomes easier to buy daily goods, the New Year holiday is just like any other. After long workdays, many people use the New Year holiday to take a rest, rather than visiting friends and neighbors. The process of making and enjoying the family dinner on Spring Festival Eve is the most important thing. However, many families would like to eat out to save time and energy," said Li Shunzhi, a resident of Harbin, Heilongjiang.
"I enjoy the holidays very much in the countryside. My family has been preparing for the Spring Festival more than two weeks before the holiday, cleaning the house, buying holiday goods and decorating the house with paper cuttings. On New Year's Eve, the whole family stays up to see the New Year in, and in the days to follow, a series of activities such as lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held. Without the ancient traditions, the holiday is nothing to us," said Zhang Hui, from Hebei.
The traditional Chinese Longtaitou Festival, or DragonHeadRaising Festival, falls on the second day of the second lunar month every year, and recognizes the start of spring and farming. This year it falls on March 8.
Ancient people believed that after this day, rainfall increases because the rainbringing Dragon King has awakened from his winter sleep. A wellknown phrase goes, "Er yue er, long tai tou, " meaning, "On the second day of the second month, the dragon lifts his head."
The festival celebrates ancient agrarian Chinese culture, and while some of traditional ways to celebrate it are no longer practiced, others continue to exist.
The most famous tradition is getting a haircut.Some believe that going to the barber on this day gets rid of bad luck, while others believe getting a haircut during the first month of the lunar calendar brings bad luck. Another saying warns that cutting your hair in the first month will cause your uncle to die. Although today few pay attention to it, it was once a tradition to line up outside barbershops on the day of Longtaitou.
People eat tofu balls in East China's Fujian province during the festival, and often make tofu and vegetable balls to pray for family and business. Fried beans are the traditional festival food for people in parts of Shandong province. Eating chengyao cakes, which are made with sticky rice, during the festival is a tradition in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, owing to the saying, "If you eat chengyao on Longtaitou, your waist won't hurt all year." Meanwhile other foods, like noodles, dumplings, and spring rolls, are named after dragon body parts to mark the day. Noodles are dragon's beard (long xu), dumplings are dragon's ears (long er), spring rolls dragon's scales (long lin).
For Chinese, it's a time for dragon boat racing and Zongzi (粽子). But across the Yellow Sea, South Korea, wrestling (摔跤) and swing play are the highlights. However, both events go by the same name—the Dragon Boat Festival—which falls on May5 of the lunar calendar.
One festival, two cultures: does one nation have the right to call its own? It has been reported that South Korea will apply (申请) to the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO联合国教科文组织) to make the celebration its cultural heritage (文化遗产). If successful, people from other countries may see the Dragon Festival as a Korean creation.
As the birthplace of the yearly event more than 2, 000 years ago, China is not happy with the situation. "It would be a shame if another country successfully made a traditional Chinese festival part of its own cultural heritage ahead of China," said Zhou Heping, deputy culture minister. The Ministry of Culture is even thinking of making its own application to UNESCO, covering all traditional Chinese festivals, including the Dragon Boat event.
Over the years, the Dragon Boat Festival has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Viet Nam, as well as South Korea, the festival has mixed with and become part of local culture. With this in mind, some experts say that it is meaningless to argue about which country the festival belongs to. "No one can deny that it came from China," said Long Haiqing, an expert from Hunan Province. "But if all the countries involved can protect culture heritage together, they will all benefit."
The Torch Festival(火把节) is a traditional festival which is celebrated among some ethnic groups in southwestern China, such as the Yi, Bai, Hani, Lisu, and Lahu, etc. It usually falls on the 24th or 25th of June, with three days of celebrations. The festival came from worship(崇拜) of fire by ancestors(祖先). For some ethnic groups, it's a tradition in the festival for elders to share farming experience with young people and educate them about taking care of crops.
During the festival, big torches are made to stand in all villages, with small torches placed in front of the door of each house. When night falls, the torches are lit and the villages are bright. At the same time, people walk around the fields and houses, holding small torches and placing the torches in the field corners. Inside the villages, young people are singing and dancing around the big torches that keep burning throughout the night. Other activities like horse races are also held during the festival.
In a horse race of the Yi people in Yunnan, torches are used to form hurdles for riders to get through. The Hani people in Yunnan traditionally tie fruits to torches with strings. When the strings are broken after the torches are lit, people struggle for the fruits for good luck.
For the Lisu people in Sichuan, the festival is an occasion for holding torch parades. Big torches are carried by teams of people, which is like a fire dragon. If different teams meet, it's a tradition to exchange the big torches with one another.
People usually celebrate their traditional festivals. The Spring Festival is celebrated not only in China but also in other parts of the world. The traditional holiday is the most important to Chinese both at home and abroad.
The United Kingdom
Celebrations for Spring Festival in the UK started in 1980，with the first evening party held in 2002. Every New Year，people get together and have a lot of activities. They sing songs，dance to music，share photos with friends or enjoy films in a cinema.
The United States
Spring Festival is an important time for Chinese living or working in the US. They join in a large evening party to welcome the traditional New Year. It is a good chance for people to feel that they are not alone because they share the same culture.
Australia
On Chinese New Year，many people across Australia come to Sydney's Chinatown. They enjoy fireworks，lion dances，dragon boat races and many other traditional activities. The celebrations are also a bridge towards better understanding between Chinese and nonChinese.
Singapore
The family dinner on New Year's Eve is an important tradition for Chinese. They put traditional food on a table as an act of remembering their past. Then the whole family enjoys their dinner together. They usually have it at home because having it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition.
When mentioning China, what comes to mind? As a country with a history of more than 5000 years, China is rich in civilization and culture. What best represents China?
Confucius (551BC-479 BC)
Confucius was a teacher and philosopher from the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. The philosophy of Confucius stresses individual morality including kindness, fairness, politeness, and sincerity. Confucius' principles have a broad basis in common Chinese tradition and belief.
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with winding or crawling characters. The dragon symbol is frequently used on ancient Chinese emperor's items including chairs or costumes. It is considered a representation of power.
Peking Opera
Peking Opera is considered the essence of China. As the larger form of Chinese opera, it has many "firsts" in Chinese dramas: the abundance of talents, the number of artists, opera groups and audience.
The Great Wall
There is an old saying that goes. "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man. " The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, is a destination one must see when visiting China.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Developed in China, TCM has a tradition dating back to more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, cupping, massage, exercise (Qigong) , and dietary therapy.
While most TV stations try to attract viewers by producing reality shows, Henan TV has become famous by promoting traditional culture through Chinese dance. Henan TV produced seven dance pieces introducing traditional culture for traditional festivals, such as "Rhapsody on the Luo River Goddess (《洛神水赋》)", a two-minute underwater dance for the Dragon Boat Festival. "Guardian Warriors of Longmen (《龙门金刚 》)", a dance piece supported by AR technology against the backdrop of the Longmen Grottoes(石窟).
"These pieces have gotten nearly 30 billion hits," said Yao Wei, director of the TV station. "It's a huge success for Henan TV."
On Nov 1, 2021, Yao was invited to talk about how the TV station had produced the hit dance pieces at a three-day forum (论坛) centering on the research of Chinese dance.
The pieces were popular with audiences, most of whom are members of Gen Z, (people born between 1995 and 2009), Yao said.
"It's been over forty years since the country's reform and opening-up and the younger generations have grown up with open minds. They love Chinese culture and are proud of it," said Yao. "What we need to do is present Chinese culture and tradition in interesting ways for those young people."
Yao added that Henan TV has been producing shows promoting traditional culture, such as traditional operas and kung Fu, for nearly 30 years.
"To allure younger audiences, we are also changing our shows. One of the keys is to produce them with creativity," Yao said. "For example, the latest technology and special stage settings, like underwater scenes, have become our new ways of telling stories about traditional Chinese culture."
Another key to successfully reaching younger audiences is using social media to promote their shows.
"Social media is being shaped and driven by young people. It's a powerful form of communication. When they watch short videos, they easily become interested in an eye-catching video," Yao said.
This summer, most Chinese citizens have been amazed by women wearing hanfu, or Han-style clothing, at subway stations, shopping malls, pedestrian streets or scenic areas. Hanfu has aroused public attention in recent years, especially among young people.
In 2018, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China (CCCYL) set the third day of the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar, traditionally the birthday of the Chinese people's mythological (神话的) ancestor the Yellow Emperor, as the annual Traditional Chinese Garment (服装) Day. It was aimed to promote classic Chinese culture, as well as "demonstrating cultural confidence". Since then, the beauty of hanfu has gained more and more recognition and acceptance by common people.
Generally, hanfu refers to traditional Chinese garments worn by the Han nationality before the Qing Dynasty. Historically, Han Chinese clothing has also influenced some of its neighbouring cultural costumes, including the Japanese kimono, Korean hanbok, and clothing of Mongolia, Vietnam and Bhutan.
Hanfu appears elegant and beautiful, not only due to the thousands of years of culture behind its design. This traditional dress also stands out because of its remarkable craftsmanship, from fabric to decoration. Hanfu adopts more than 30 examples of China's invisible cultural heritage as well as Chinese arts and crafts under preservation.
Hanfu represents not only appreciation of the beauty, but also a continuation of traditional Chinese culture. Nowadays, more and more fashion designers look to hanfu for inspiration, producing fashionable examples of hanfu for a new era.
The Lantem Festival, also known in China as the Yuanxiao Festival or the Shangyuan Festival, falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It marks the end of the Spring Festival celebration and is also the first major festival after Chinese New Year. The first lunar month is called the" yuan month", and in ancient times, people called the night "xiao" the 15th day is the first night to see a full moon in that lunar year. That is how the day earned its name as the Yuanxiao Festival.
The practice of appreciating lanterns during this festival actually originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty under Emperor Ming, s reign. He officially announced that all palaces and temples should light lanterns, and people right across the country should hang lanterns, creating the tradition of lantern displays.
Guessing lantern riddles is an incredibly popular activity during the festival. The riddles often contain messages of good fortune, family reunion, abundant harvests, prosperity and love. Today people in cities across China organize delightful riddle competitions to celebrate the Lantern Festival. Because they are so inspiring and fascinating, riddles are popular with people of all ages and all walks of life.
There are many other celebrations such as dragon and lion dances, parades and fireworks. Eating yuanxiao (rice glue ball) is also an important custom of the festival. The round shape of the balls symbolises wholeness and unity within the family.
As the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, mooncakes are turning up all over China, from traditional teashops to Starbucks counters. The holiday is one of China's four most important festivals, and in the weeks before the date arrives, top hotels get into the spirit with lavish(奢华) treats in lovely packaging. Traditionally, the cookie-sized round pastry(馅饼) has a rich thick filling usually made from red-bean or lotus-seed paste and covered by a thin crust. It may also contain yolks from salted duck eggs, integrating a beautiful savory tinge into the sugary taste. Fillings and crusts have become more diverse over time, especially in the hands of skilled pastry chefs. The mooncakes in Chinese culture represent homesickness, and the top crust of each moon-shaped pastry is generally imprinted with the Chinese characters for longevity or harmony.
This year, the fancy gift boxes that have long driven the mooncake trade are particularly striking and rich with tradition.
For example, the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, built in 1929 and a magnet for Hollywood celebrities in the 1930s, has prepared a selection of mooncake gift boxes with designs inspired by the beauty and elegance of the hotel's famous art deco style. The simplest box of four pieces (red-bean paste, creamy custard, plain cheese, green-bean paste) is 198 yuan($29.64), while more lavish selections of five or six pieces, including mooncakes with egg yolk, run up to 338 yuan for a box.
Beijing's Nuo Hotel, meanwhile, has created Ming Dynasty (1368－1644) inspired mooncake gift packs based on the design of porcelain vases in the hotel lobby, with the essence of landscape painting using Zhang Dai's poetic passages to show the peaceful harmony of man and nature. The box of six is 158 yuan, and includes mooncakes ranging from cheese mango to charcoal burning fragrant Pu'er tea and white lotus with egg yolk. A box of eight cakes of different flavors is 228 yuan.
