Chinese New Year: a 15-day long holiday. A holiday determined by the Lunar Calendar. A holiday celebrated in a myriad of countries such as Mongolia, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan among friends and family through reunion dinners, visiting hometowns and more. A holiday traditionally celebrated by Chinese folk as a reaction to the subsequent “defeat” of the traditional monster, Nian. The origin of Chinese New Year dates back to the Shang Dynasty- in approximately 1600 to 1056 BC, originally celebrated to chase away the half-lion and half-dragon monster known as the Nian. Nian was a monster that would terrorize the villages of China. It would feast on the animals and people of the village, especially the children; it was particularly dangerous due to its tendency to strike during winter when the resources were scarce. However, the villagers found out that the Nian was scared of 3 things, the colour scarlet, fire, and noise. They were able to come to this conclusion after realizing the Nian would only strike on the darkest nights of the Lunar New Year. They started to light firecrackers, paste red sheets on their doorsteps and around the village, and would light fireworks which would eventually scare the Nian away. This is why the colour red is worn during Chinese New Year and why firecrackers are usually enjoyed by many during this time. Furthermore, the colour red was worn to symbolize luck, joy and happiness and it was also believed to ward off evil spirits. Now, why is wearing black taboo? I am sure we all know that we shouldn’t wear any dark colours to a reunion dinner, especially with more old-school Chinese families, but why? Well, it’s quite simple actually, black symbolizes death, depression and is usually worn during funerals. It is the same for white, which is usually worn at a relative's funeral so therefore, both colours are not commonly seen during Chinese New Year. However, that doesn’t mean that it's completely banned, as we are still allowed to wear those colours, just not as a centrally focused colour.
Now that we have covered the history of Chinese New Year, we should get into the fun stuff. If you went to school in Malaysia since primary school, every Chinese New Year, especially during Primary, we would always get to see traditional Lion and Dragon Dances. Even here in Tenby, we constantly get the opportunity to see and enjoy these traditional dances. It was commonly believed that these dances gave good luck and warded off evil spirits due to the vibrant colours and the loud sounds. During times like these, people would go back to their hometowns and visit their cousins and grandparents, further connecting with their extended family as a form of respect and general love. Honestly, Chinese New Year is not only a time for reunions and strengthening bonds. I believe that it is a time to look back and be thankful. It is titled Chinese “New Year” after all, the opportunity to bond with extended family, or simply going out with friends during this season is more than enough to provide you with an extravagant and homely experience.
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