The importance of Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival in Modern China, is a festival celebrated upon completion of a year according to the Chinese calendar. A very high and pompous celebration is done for a period of first fifteen days, with the celebrations beginning from the first evening till the Lantern festival on the 15th day of the month. Being one of the most prominent lunar festivals of the entire world, it has a very huge influx and is also unique in terms of the traditions that these large masses follow up during these 15 days. The article further updates on this festival and mentions the essentials of this festival, including the robe chinoise courte.
The essentials for the festival
Being a very iconic part of the year for all of the Chinese citizens, this festival holds a very dear place in their hearts and hence the people ensure that they keep the traditions intact and maintain the uniformity in the celebration of the same. Some of the essentials for the same include the following: –
The cultural foods- Food forms a pivotal part for the celebration of any kind of festival. Similarly, for the Chinese New Year also, the families prepare the traditional dishes that symbolize love and happiness for their loved and dear ones. Chinese fondue, Hot Pot served in a traditional broth with side dishes being cooked in the same, boiled ravioli, noodles and momos form some of the famous traditional Chinese dishes. In fact, a majority of these have fish as the chief ingredient.
The clothes to wear- robe chinoise courte or the Chinese robes to be donned up during the period form another important aspect of this festival celebration. People generally prefer to stitch their new clothes rather than purchasing, to show more reflection of their love for the culture on the dress pieces. The famous robes for women include qipao and cheongsam and are worn with jackets, mandarin blouse, and pants. The color that dominates the show is red as it symbolizes happiness throughout the year. The clothing does not only reflect the love for the culture but also imbibe the basic traditional features within them.
The decorations to take care of- Decorations form another important aspect of any celebration. Every celebration has some themed decoration that helps in maintaining the uniformity irrespective of the type of the household. Similarly, for the Chinese New Year, all of the shops, houses, and offices are decorated with Chinese lamps and other traditional decoration pieces that symbolize happiness and prosperity throughout the phase of the year. The decorations also carry the theme animal over them. For example, 2018 is the year of roosters and hence this animal has been engraved on the decorations too. Even the wall paintings, pottery or other material designs have roosters engraved over them to symbolize the animal of the year and bring more colors to this most awaited festival of the year.
Henry Rivers Blog 