Chinese New Year is a significant event in China and around the world. For about ten days, you will enjoy the tradition dating back to the myth of the Nian animal. It is customary to make a lot of noise and dress in red but also firecrackers to keep this animal away. Nowadays, this custom ►
Chinese New Year is a significant event in China and around the world. For about ten days, you will enjoy the tradition dating back to the myth of the Nian animal. It is customary to make a lot of noise and dress in red but also firecrackers to keep this animal away. Nowadays, this custom has remained the same: having red decorations, fireworks... As a family, they share meals and offer each other red envelopes with money. You will contemplate dragon and lion dances in the street. In the street, Chinese firecrackers are also heard. In Guangzhou, there is a whole fair around flowers, including that of Xihu, Tianhe, or Liwan, for the occasion of spring. The flowered city will have artists who show their art (folk performances, calligraphy ...). Bigger, in Hong Kong, there are fireworks and parades at night. The lantern festival, seen as the actual festival of Chinese lovers, marks the end of the Lunar New Year. Two thousand years old, the practices are still similar to those in the past. During this day, we have the opportunity to discover lanterns in the shape of an animal or character in the street or in parks that tell stories that are pretty nice to watch. Fireworks, invented in China, are still found in this festival for a more beautiful show with the dragon dance, popular in the rest of the world. In addition, participants are invited to answer subtle riddles written on tiger lanterns, and for each correct answer, a little surprise awaits you. Nanjing is reputed to be the biggest lantern festival celebration, with one of the country's largest fairs for this period at the Qinhuai International Lantern Festival. For that, go to the Temple of Confucius and the Qinhuai River. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Moon Festival, is the second most anticipated festival. This Chinese festival has a history of about 3000 years! Nowadays, few people still participate in celebrating the Moon. Many families get together to enjoy a day together. Tradition has it that small pastries are offered to relatives called "moon cakes." When you cut them, you can even see a full moon shape. They are often accompanied by osmanthus wine which symbolizes harmonious family life and luck. For those who participate for the Moon, these families make offerings to it to have good harvests. During this period, we still find lanterns that are very present in Chinese culture. They hang them high: they are usually very colorful. The children enjoy making them but also stroll around the city with them. In Hong Kong, you will even have the opportunity to see a 67-meter dragon, carried by 300 people, crossing the Tai Hang district. Also, make a detour to Beijing for the Marco Polo Bridge fair: Chinese folk art, such as the dance of lions and dragons, and traditional art... ◄
