Gong Xi, Gong Xi, Gong Xi Ni.. We’re only one week away from hearing that song all over the island. That’s right, Lunar New Year is almost here! Although more commonly known here as Chinese New Year (CNY), this day is obviously not only celebrated in China. In fact, it is not only celebrated by people of Chinese descent across the world (such as in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia), but also by other ethnicities. This first day of the lunisolar calendar also marks the Vietnamese New Year, or Tết, and the Korean New Year, among others. So you may think you know all about Lunar New Year, but do you know about the different facts and traditions from other countries? Read ahead to find out!
- Public Holidays
As students, this is probably the most exciting point for us. 😉 We get 2 days of CNY public holiday here in Singapore and this year they fall on 8 and 9 February (cheers for super long weekend!). Most of our friends in Malaysia also enjoy 2 days of holiday, except for those living in Kelantan and Terengganu, who only get a one-day holiday for the first day. But the grass is always greener on the other side. In this case, the other side is China. They get one whole week of holiday, even though two days of it must be compensated by the nearby weekend, which means they’d have to go to work or school on Saturday and Sunday. In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year public holiday lasts for three days, but may extend for a week by taking away weekends just like in China. Before you get jealous of these countries and plan to launch a public protest, let us remind you of our neighbours who have it worse – the Indonesians only get one day of holiday. And if it happens to fall on a Sunday; too bad, you don’t automatically get a day off on Monday too.
Maybe less extreme reaction from certain countries
- Mass Migration
“With great power comes great responsibility.” Well, with a longer holiday comes greater opportunity to travel! For many factory workers in China, CNY is the only time they can go back to their hometowns. Even weeks before the CNY itself, millions of workers have started their homecoming journey so that they can celebrate the special day with their families. This results in the world’s largest annual human migration, called Chunyun (estimated around ). This phenomenon is not really observed in other countries celebrating the holiday like Singapore and Indonesia. The largest mass movement of people in Indonesia is observed during Hari Raya instead, as the majority of the country are Muslims. For the minority Chinese-Indonesians, CNY is also celebrated with families, but generally without travelling long distances.
The crowd in Shanghai ahead of the CNY travel rush. From ibtimes.co.uk
- Decorating a Tree
Yup, you read that right. Nope, it’s not for Christmas. Tet, or the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is sort of like a combination of Christmas, New Year, and other major holidays. Although it shares some traditions and superstitions with Chinese New Year, such as cleaning the house and decorating with red lanterns, it has its own unique ones like the Tet tree. The Southern part of Vietnam usually goes with yellow blossoms, while pink blossoms are more favoured in the North. Just like Christmas trees, Tet trees are decorated by hanging ornaments on their branches. Fortunately for the Vietnamese, the tradition of giving money in envelopes is not unique to CNY. But instead of Hong Bao or Ang Bao, they call it “li xi”, or “lucky money”. The amount of money given should end with even numbers because otherwise it would be considered a bad omen for the New Year.
Tet trees for sale in Saigon. From http://www.tefladventures.com/tet
- Yu Sheng
Even though it was originated in China, Yu Sheng is now mostly only prominent in Singapore and Malaysia. The name translates into “raw fish”, but if you have spent at least one CNY in Singapore, you’d know the dish is so much more than just fish. Or if you’re new here, we suggest you ask your Singaporean friends to eat it together – the ritual and meanings behind Yu Sheng are really interesting! Although you may not want to eat a lot of it, since the taste can be revolting for those who are not used to it. Read more on the steps and what each ingredient symbolised here: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_177__2009-01-08.html
Yu Sheng and some of the meanings of the components. From http://i.insing.com.sg/
So there you have it – Lunar New Year from different perspectives! There are still other countries and cultures celebrating the day differently, like Korea, which we have not touched on. So if you know anything about them, you are welcome to share in the comment section! 🙂
We wish you an early happy Lunar New Year!
Xin Nian Kuai Le. Gong Xi Fa Cai. Chúc Mừng Năm Mới. Selamat Tahun Baru Imlek.
