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This is how China will be cantering into the Year of the Fire Horse
The CGM Spring Festival Gala will be live streaming on YouTube and garners millions of eyeballs every year
The world has collectively exited the year of the snake to enter the momentum-oriented year of the fire horse. The Chinese New Year, today, Febraury 17, marks the first new moon of the lunar calendar, also kicking off the 15-day Spring Festival in China, set to conclude on March 3.
And the first cultural rite of passage has always been the Chunwan, organised by the China Media Group. One of the country’s most important televised cultural spectacles, it has been produced and organised by the state broadcaster CCTV since 1983. The show typically lasts close to four hours, beginning at 8PM, China Standard Time, and continuing slightly past midnight. It generally showcases around 30 performances - acrobatics, singing, dance, comic sketches, crosstalk, magic, Peking Opera, public service segments and tributes to national heroes. While last night was the culmination of all the extensive preparations, there is understandably a lot that goes into spiritually preparing oneself for the New Year, if they're living in China.
Preparing for the Lunar New Year
As per a CNN Travel report, celebrations begin with the preparation of festive cakes and puddings on the 24th day of the final lunar month, which fell on February 11 this year. And the reason behind this, interestingly, lies in phonetics. In Mandarin, cakes and puddings are called 'gao', and in Cantonese, 'gou', both of which sound like the word for 'tall', Because of this wordplay, enjoying these sweets is thought to symbolise progress, elevation, and positive growth in the year ahead. Radish cakes are preferred as the simplest option in this regard, helping one kickstart the Lunar New Year on a superstitiously-aligned note.
As far as optics are concerned, red banners inscribed with auspicious sayings and idioms, known as 'fai chun' in Cantonese and 'chunlian' in Mandarin, are displayed around the home and necessarily on the front door. This is to keep away the underwater beast, Nian, which as per legend is on the prowl for an attack this time of the year. Additionally, a thorough clean up of the house is expected to be done on the 28th day of the last lunar month, which fell on February 15 this year.
A happy year begins with a happy tummy
This typical big family meal is supposed to take place on the eve of the Lunar New Year, which was yesterday. And the menu necessarily needs to be built around foods that signify luck - fish, puddings and dumplings are rather popular picks in this regard.
Finally, the intentional calendar routines don't end with the end of the Lunar New Year. The next few days are full of social mingling with red envelopes (called hongbao) being handed over by married couples to singles and children.
The third day of the Lunar New Year is called 'chi kou' or red mouth, which comes with the belief that arguments are most likely to take place today. Temple visits are the norm for this day.
The seventh day of the Lunar New Year, falling on February 23 this year, is traditionally believed to mark the moment when the Chinese mother goddess, Nuwa, created humankind. For this reason, the day is known as' renri', often referred to as the 'people’s birthday'. In honour of the same, a variety of symbolic 'birthday' dishes are prepared to honour the occasion.
How are you ringing in the Lunar New Year?
