Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year!

Kung Hei Fat Choi

(Congratulations & be prosperous)

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China.  For Macau, it means decorating streets and plazas, buildings and parks, and everything else in between with lights, lanterns, zodiac signs, orange trees, and lots of red paper decorations.  It also means fireworks, and lots of them!

It was great to be in Macau for Chinese New Year and learn more about the Chinese traditions and celebrations associated with this special holiday.  Here's some of what we learned and experienced: 

RED ENVELOPES

For weeks leading up to Chinese New Year, I saw people standing outside the banks selling brand new bills (usually 10s and 20s), and didn't understand what they were doing.  Then, the week before Chinese New Year, I noticed the lines at the banks were ridiculously LONG.  I discovered everyone was preparing for the red envelope tradition.  Red envelopes, symbolizing luck, are filled with money to be given as gifts during holidays and special occasions.  According to tradition, the money has to be new and crisp and even numbered but avoid using the number 4 because it's unlucky.  During Chinese New Year, red envelopes are passed out from married and elderly people to children and the unmarried.  It's customary to give red envelopes to all the children you see during the week of Chinese New Year, regardless of how well you know them.  The recipient often says “Kung Hei Fat Choi”, wishing the giver good fortune during the coming year.  Although Kyle and I didn’t pass out any red envelopes, our kids still collected quite a few.  We’ve been told that kids can easily receive thousands of patacas during Chinese New Year.

Red envelopes are often tied to orange trees that are used as decorations during Chinese New Year.

GOLDEN DRAGON PARADE

Dragons are a Chinese symbol of power, wisdom, and good luck.  They are also a vital part of the Chinese New Year celebrations.  

In Macau, a 238 meter golden dragon paraded through the streets and major tourist spots.  The parade also included lion dancers, the 12 Chinese Zodiacs, and figures representing happiness, honor, and longevity.  

We watched the parade as it weaved down the stairs in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's and got an up close view as it passed us on it's way to Senado Square.

FIREWORKS
Another popular tradition during Chinese New Year is fireworks.  There are a few firework shows during the week but the most exciting firework experience is the do-it-yourself fireworks.

Macau sections off 2 large areas (one on the Macau peninsula and another on the Taipa side) for people to buy and light fireworks, including redirecting traffic and erecting tall partitions.  There are also first aid stations, firetrucks, and many safety personnel.

Plus, it's best to wear long sleeves, a hat, and ear plugs.  As you can see, these are serious fireworks.

Kyle and the boys went with some friends to experience the DIY fireworks.

And, they had a blast!  

According to the boys, the fireworks were gigantic (as tall as Ian), super noisy (thank goodness for ear plugs), and TOTALLY AWESOME!  I'm afraid they've been scarred for life - fireworks in America will never compare to these Macau fireworks.

SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS

The kids were out of school for more than a week for Chinese New Year.  Before the break, they had a special day to celebrate the holiday.  Students were invited to wear traditional Chinese clothing and parents came to share a potluck lunch.  The Kindergarten classes also had a special performance.  They wore traditional Chinese clothing, sang songs in Chinese and English, had lots of props, and performed elaborate dance routines.  Although I didn't understand most of the words, it was still a fun, entertaining show.  They did a great job!  

Happy New Year!  May the year be filled with good fortune!