Fire-cracking all day long? Everyone in red? Lots of red envelopes?
Not really like that anymore.
Most of the countries celebrate New Year's Day, same as in Taiwan. But we have another New Year's Day, so-called Chinese New Year. It's also on the 1st day of January, but depends on the lunar calendar. Although it's a kind of New Year's Day, but its significance, the way how people celebrate it, and the length of the holidays are more like Christmas for many of the western countries. We usually get about 6-10 days off from Chinese New Year's Eve. But it depends on each year.
If Chinese New Year starts early in February, then kids will have their winter vacation including Chinese New Year Holidays. But if it starts late, like this year, almost the middle or the end of February (18th is Chinese New Year's Eve), then usually just get 5-6 days off. Otherwise, it will be a too long vacation.
What people usually do during the entire Chinese New Year are/were...
0. Eve: Reunion! People usually eat hot pot with family. Most of the time is that we will visit and eat at grandparent's place from father-side. On this day, parents will give kids red envelopes, and they will keep them in the pocket when they go to bed. Some People say that's for wishing them a safe year. However, some say that's like making them have some money left for the brain new year.
1. 1st: First day and Second one, parents will say: "Get up early!" Well, early bird gets the worm? Actually just welcoming the New Year earlier with fire-cracking, which also symbolizes the new year begins like an early bird, you will be an early bird throughout the whole year (for some people).
Activity for today is visiting grandparents and relatives from father-side, AGAIN. This year we didn't go to grandparents' place again on the 1st day again because we had already been there the night before. And my family goes there almost every single day for work. So, we just visited some of a few families on the paternal side.
Warning: According to the tradition, married daughters CAN'T go back to their original family on this day. It's a sad thing in my opinion. People here said: "A married daughter is like splashed water." A married daughter is like an outside for this family. If they come home on 1st day, it might bring bad luck. (Tzz) And since they become outsiders, they are guests who should bring gifts when they VISIT their own family. Yap, they call it visit, not coming back home. Elder people also think: "If you just can't wait, and run back home on the 1st day, it's like that your marriage gets some problems. That's why you want to rush back home to ask for help." I know it sounds super duper ridiculous for many of you, if not most. It's the same But the last two generations still care... a lot. But everyone is different; even my grandparents' generation still cares a lot. But whose parents will boost their daughter out when she desires to see them? My youngest aunt lives far from granny's house. She is a teacher, so she usually has her holidays earlier than other people. She comes home few days before Chinese New Year's Eve, and stay at granny's house until the holidays finish. So, during the entire time, she is there with her parents, and doesn't bring back luck to my grandparents. You know what I try to say, right?
2. 2nd: And finally here comes the day which people focus on daughters. People also need to get up early because usually daughters reside somewhere not close to their parents' house. This is the day that daughters go back to their original family. Happily and greatly will the parents prepare good dishes and waiting for their baby daughters. (Hmm.. What about Day 1?) Actually even my grandpa from father side, represent the elder generation, is still super happy when his daughters (5) are coming home. And my grandma will be the busy one to prepare all the things. Same as my mom, we will go back to her original family. Actually since my sister already got married, my mom should be at home and prepare for my sister's new family. But we are kind of ... special? Well, actually there are quite a few families also do this way. Since my grandparents from mother side already died while my mom was young, my mom was raised up or took cared by her brothers, sisters, and also their spouses. My uncle (mom's brother) and aunt (uncle's wife) has been representing as my mom's parents for all these years. They welcome all the younger siblings' families on this day for over 25 years. And now even welcome their kids' new families. Yes, so we ALL go back to aunt's house on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year. And we all feel it will keep going like that, which means, in the future, there will be over 30 adults and plus some babies all together there for this day after we all get married.
I always like this day the most since I was little. I wait for the whole year for this day and sometimes also the 3rd one, which also with the same people. But this year, it happened something really disturbed me. I went vegan from almost the end of August, 2014. And during Chinese New Year, one of my aunt and her husband said something really ridiculous. Most ridiculous is that they were even religion-vegetarian before. I have no ideas how it will be like in the future. But I really don't need to care about that too much. Well, if you're vegan, and you knew what they said, you would feel the same.
3. 3rd: Oh yeah, finally we can sleep until as late as we want! After two days of being an early bird, people can finally sleep until the time they want to leave the warmest place, their bed.
Activity: Actually from this day, nothing special needs to be followed. We usually go out with maternal relatives. We like to go somewhere we can take a lot of pictures, since it's not easy for all of us to get together like this.
Warning: According to tradition, people better don't go out. But I have never heard about this. And my parents or neither does any elder people warn us about this.
4. 4th: As mentioned above, from the 3rd day, people just go to wherever they want to. But for me personally, I prefer to stay at home, relaxed. People also do the religion ceremony on this day as well. People are busy around for the religion ceremony during the whole Chinese New Year Holidays actually.
5. 5th: Ok, so here comes the day that most of people will go back to work, which usually sucks. But for me, I start working again on the 6th day, just like all those students, since I'm a teacher at a cram school. We usually follow their time schedule.
Those are the basic of the holidays. Most of people only remember the details about the days, although Chinese New Year won't officially end until the 15th, but only people who need to take care of the religion ceremony will pay more attention on the rest of the days.
During these days, do we really wear red clothes going around? Well, no! Maybe we try to put some red stuff on. But we still keep the idea of "wearing new clothes for new year." Yap, it's totally a good excuse to buy new clothes. Who doesn't like that, right? (Ok, as a frugal girl, I don't like it. But I still have new clothes to wear for New Year, why? Well, I got them from my friends on my birthday which is usually before Chinese New Year, or during Chinese New Year. Oh yes, I love my mom so much.)
How about you? How do you celebrate your country's big holidays? Is it the same way as before?