BY CUI LIYUN
The Spring Festival, which was meant to worship God and ancestors in ancient times, is the most important festival in China so that we have seven days off to celebrate it, and begins on the eve of Chinese New Year according to lunar calendar. At the same time, it is an opportunity for family members get together, so we try our best to go back hometown no matter how busy we are and wherever we are.
Preparation
Several of days before the Spring Festival, people start to clean everywhere and wash everything in the house to bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new one. Then we go shopping to buy clothes, food, fireworks, couplets, lanterns and so on.
Red colour everywhere
There are different ways to celebrate it in different places, but the common things all over the country are red lanterns on both sides of the streets or under the eaves of the houses and red clothes we wear. Especially, Spring Festival Couplets in red colour are pasted on either side of outside door or gate posts. The couplets consist of two vertical scrolls and a horizontal scroll inscribed with auspicious sayings, also, they are thought to protect the families from evils. And the Chinese character ‘Fu’, which means good fortune, is in the center of the door.
Such as two vertical scrolls: Everything goes well as you expect Career improves steadily as you want
Food for the Spring Festival
The dinner for the Chinese New Year Eve is the most important meal for us and the whole family reunion to enjoy delicious food. Certainly, dumplings are the indispensable tasty food on the table. In ancient China,
the fillings were made of mutton and some herbs to treat the people with frostbite on their ears, and their ears were healed up soon, so the custom of having dumpling were passed down during these special days including the Spring Festal and winter solstice, but now the fillings can be made of other meat and vegetables. Rice cakes are another necessary food which means that our lives get better and better year by year.
The food is made exquisitely to worship ancestors, or flowers can be used for worship.
Lively activities
Yangko dances, lion dances, dragon dances, stilt walking, and wonderful fireworks accompanied by loud music attract more and more people to go out to enjoy the rejoicing atmosphere. These traditional unique folk arts make the festival more special and interesting.
Visiting
From the second day of the New Year, we can visit relatives and friends taking along presents, such as wine, local taste and the like, and the guests usually have a meal in the relatives’ or friends’ houses to chat and share the achievements during the departed year. The children have chances to get lucky money from parents and relatives. We all are looking forward to the Spring Festival with our own rich cultures which bring reunion, relaxation, enjoyment and communication for us.
The Ethiopian Herald February 2/2022
