Out of the darkness of the post-Christmas letdown arises my absolutely favorite time of year in China, Chinese New Year! Of course, it's called "Spring Festival" here, but as it follows a lunar calendar, it can range from any time from January to early March. This year it falls on January 26, so I'm having a little trouble with the "spring" idea--it is freezing cold!
Chinese New Year is the most-traveled holiday in China. It is tradition to go and visit one's families, so in a nation of 1.3 billion people, that's a lot of people on the move. The government is expecting 188 million people will be traveling this holiday. I would personally never set foot in a train station here on Chinese New Year if I could help it, but I do know people who have done so and lived to tell about it (but swore they'd never do it again!). This year I'm bucking with tradition and flying to Laos, since it's our only full-week holiday from school.
The decorations started going up before Christmas--talk about getting mileage out of those Christmas decorations! The Christmas trees are now sporting lanterns, chains of red lanterns are hanging over the streets, and anything that *can* be lit up with fairy lights, is. It is bright, colorful, and festive, and the excitement in the air almost palpable.
Fireworks were invented here, of course, so the Chinese do them well! I've already started hearing a few eager early-birds. They set off entire long chains hanging suspended from a pole. But the real action will be Monday night, when all of Beijing will erupt in a fiery spectacle. You can stand on the rooftop, and turn a full 360 degrees and fireworks burst all around you. Last year I watched from my balcony with the windows flung wide open and had to quickly shut them as a rogue burst nearly torched my curtains. And we are not talking the odd Roman candle here--these are huge July 4th fireworks you'd have to have a pyrotechnician's license to set off in the States! Red paper residue flutters down from the sky and ends up ankle-deep in the streets. It is the most amazing sight!
Another tradition here is the hong bao, or red envelopes of money you pass out. My ayi (cleaning lady) will get a month's salary in her hong bao, I'll give the reception workers in my building around 50 rmb each, and I have even been known to carry around a few with small notes to pass out to taxi drivers who are nice to me. Students in my class who celebrate Chinese New Year get them from their relatives--no one refuses a red envelope! I am told that crisp, new money is best, and never give in increments of 4. (The Chinese word for 4--si sounds like the Chinese word for death, so it's considered unlucky. 8 on the other hand is lucky--ba sounds like the Chinese word for "rich".
Of course, what holiday is complete without some delicious food? Jiaozi (or dumplings) are traditionally eaten after midnight. They are meant to resemble little pockets of money and represent wealth in the New Year. It's usually a family activity to make jiaoza the day before, which as we know in most countries, means the women do it.
Atheism may be the official religion of China, but there are plenty of Buddhists to be found at the new year. The day after New Year's, it seems that most of Beijing lines up to get into the temple to offer incense for good luck. We waited in line for nearly two hours one year, the line snaking through the hutongs (old courtyard-style houses) around the Lama Temple. Afterwards, there is a temple fair with performances by acrobats, lion dancers, actors, and food stalls selling sticks of candied hawthorne, a famous sweet porridge made with rice and beans, and typical Chinese street food.
But I think the thing I like best about Chinese New Year is that it doesn't just end abruptly, like Christmas. It slowly winds down, the fireworks sounding off every night for nearly a month until the long dark nights of winter are chased away and the first buds of spring appear. This is the thing I will miss most when I leave China.
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