Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays, and is celebrated worldwide, including in many of the major cities in New Zealand. It brings Eastern culture at its most celebratory to the West, and is an exciting event for the whole family.
The Chinese New Year is celebrated by festivities which traditionally begin on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar, and last for 15 days. Parades and performances take place both throughout the streets of China and in countries around the world throughout these days, and are celebrated by Chinese and non-Chinese alike.
Preparing for Chinese New Year
Chinese families prepare for the New Year by giving their homes a thorough cleaning, sweeping bad luck away and making room for good luck. Many traditionalists even give their doors and window frames a new coat of paint, as these are the entry points of new luck.
The Days of Chinese New Year
The celebrations begin on Chinese New Year’s Eve with a family dinner, always consisting of a fish meal. The first few days of Chinese New Year are often dedicated to visiting family. On the first day, families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family. The second day marks the day where married daughters visit their parents, as traditionally married females in China may not have the chance to see their birth parents frequently. The third day is accepted as the day to honour those who have passed by visiting graveyards, or the homes of their families.
The following days of Chinese New Year are less specific, and often have food-specific traditions dependent on area to enjoy. The fifteenth day of Chinese New Year is celebrated with lanterns and candles lit outside houses to guide wayward spirits home, and marks the end of the festivities for the year.
Chinese New Year in Wellington
The Chinese New Year Wellington festival is the biggest in the country for the festive period, and has grown into a major cultural experience, bringing Westerners a slice of Eastern culture at its grandest right in the heart of the capital.
The first event of the Chinese New Year festivities in Wellington is the Sin Nian parade (which translates literally to “New Year” in Chinese). Fireworks scare away bad spirits, while traditional Chinese dance troupes clear the way for good luck and fortune.
The festival then consists of eight days of activities, beginning with the Clothes For The New Year parade, showcasing street fashion and dance. This is based on the Chinese tradition of wearing brand new threads to see the New Year in, which encourages luck and prosperity for the year ahead.
Throughout the following days Wellington is treated to four other major Chinese New Year events. Festival Day, in partnership with the Asia New Zealand Foundation, showcases international performers, rod puppeteers and mask performances, among other artistic delights.
The Asian Market is a shopper’s dream and gives Wellingtonians a chance to taste authentic Chinese cuisine, purchase art, crafts and Chinese decorations, experience traditional Chinese massage and much more.
The Chinese New Year street parade, complete with the customary dragon puppet leading the way, ventures throughout the Wellington central city from Tennyson St to Cambridge Tce, onto Courtenay Place, down Taranaki Street, heading straight towards Circa Theatre and Taranaki Wharf, continuing along the Waterfront and finishing at Frank Kitts Park.
Just for kids, the Cultural Entertainment Program encompasses a fantastic line-up of performers and stage shows with a real wow-factor, hosted by a popular MC who’ll call on the audience for participation throughout the show. The program offers something for children of all ages, and is great fun for adults too.
Chinese New Year in Christchurch
Since the Han Dynasty of 206 BC – 221 AD, Chinese lantern celebrations have been held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, marking the end of the Chinese New Year. Christchurch is brought to life with the two-day lantern festival in Victoria Square every year, in a bid to aid celestial spirits that can be seen flying about to rest with light from torches.
The lantern festival is often referred to in China as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, as historically it gave girls and boys a rare chance to commune during the evening. The lanterns displayed over the Square and down the Avon River come in all shapes and sizes in the form of animals, insects, flowers and people, and are accompanied by a plethora of food stalls and Chinese performances.
Chinese New Year in Auckland
The Auckland Showgrounds is transformed into a lively Chinese market for Chinese New Year every year, outside offering the best in food, arts, Chinese medicines and toys from the Far East. Many skilled artisans will give demonstrations in calligraphy, finger painting, kite making and paper cutting, and on the indoor stage there’ll be a three-hour concert of traditional dance, music and other entertainment.
Additionally surrounding the indoor arena, you’ll find everything from Chinese puppets to pop bands, martial arts demonstrations, hip hop dancing and over 40 hot food stalls.
Auckland also holds a similar Lantern Festival to Christchurch in Albert Park, bringing the Chinese New Year celebrations to a close with hundreds of beautiful lanterns, including the latest designs newly imported from China specific to this year’s festival.
This article was kindly supplied by NZS.