Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chinese Celebration
Chinese Celebration
Chinese Celebration
Walaupun kehidupan kini yang serba moden, adat resam ini masih
dikekalkan dan tetap diamalkan sehingga kini.
Loi Bee Theng, 23, berkata, sama seperti masyarakat lain, kaum
Cina juga menyambut kedatangan tahun baru dengan meriah yang
diyakini dapat memberikan lebih kemakmuran dan kekayaan
kepada mereka.
Tarikh hari tahun Baru Cina dari 1996 hingga 2019 (dalam
kalendar Gregory) adalah disenaraikan seperti berikut,
besertakan lambang haiwan dalam zodiak Cina dan
lambang dahan buminya. Nama-nama dahan bumi tersebut
bukan perkataan bahasa Cina bagi haiwan-haiwan tersebut.
SAMBUTAN PERAYAAN
Sambutan Tahun Baru Cina ditandakan oleh penziarahan
ahli keluarga saudara-mara dan sahabat, serta penggunaan
warna merah yang berlebihan. Ang pau diberi kepada orang
muda dan kanak-kanak oleh orang tua dan yang telah
kahwin
2011 Year of the Rabbit
(3 Feb 2011- 22 Jan 2012)
Compatibility
Those born in the year of the Rabbit is most compatible with those of the year of
the Pig and Dog. The rabbit is incompatible with the Rooster and Rat.
Sources/ Reference:
1) Ramond Lo Feng Shui website
2) About sichuan china
3) World of Feng Shui
4) Chinese Zodiac
In the dance, a team of people carry the dragon — which is an image of the Chinese dragon —
on poles. A dragon can be composed of up to 50 people.[1] The dance team does mimic the
supposed movements of this river spirit in a sinuous, undulating manner. The movements in a
performance traditionally symbolise historical roles of dragons demonstrating power and dignity.
The dragon dance is a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations held worldwide in
Chinatowns around the world.
Dragons are believed to bring good luck to people, which is reflected in their qualities that
include great power, dignity, fertility (sex), wisdom and auspiciousness. The appearance of a
dragon is both frightening[citation needed] and bold but it has a benevolent disposition, and so
eventually became an emblem to represent imperial authority.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
2 Performance
3 In literature
4 Notes
5 External links
[edit] History
The head of dragon dance costume
A dragon dance is performed alongside a lion dance during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in
San Francisco in April
Lion dances originated in India and Vietnam along with Buddhist lore and ritual. The popular
form of lion dancing todays Chinese culture evolved in China, though several countries
throughout the Asian region, including Japan, have developed their own styles of lion dance
through the centuries.
The Dragon Dance itself originated during the Han Dynasty and was started by the Chinese who
had shown great belief and respect towards the dragon. It is believed to have begun as part of the
farming and harvest culture, also with origins as a method of healing and preventing sickness. It
was already a popular event during the Song Dynasty where it had become a folk activity and
like the lion dance, was most often seen in festive celebrations.[2]
As the dragon gives people a feeling of great respect, it is often called the Sacred Dragon. The
emperors of ancient China considered themselves as the dragon. The Dragon is also the emblem
of Imperial Authority. It symbolizes supernatural power, goodness, fertility, vigilance and
dignity.
In the Qing Dynasty, the Dragon Dance team of the province of Foochow had been invited to
perform in Peking and had been greatly praised and admired by the Qing Emperor, which earned
great fame for the team.
[edit] Performance
Members of the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne performing at Chinese New Year demonstrate a
basic "corkscrew" trick
The dragon dance is performed by a skilled team whose job is to bring the motionless body to
life. The dragon itself is a long serpent shaped body on poles, assembled by joining the series of
hoops on each section and attaching the ornamental head and tail pieces at the ends.
Traditionally, dragons were constructed of wood, with bamboo hoops on the inside and covered
with a rich fabric, however in the modern era lighter materials such as aluminium and plastics
have replaced the wood and heavy material.[2]
Dragons can range in length from around 25 to 35 meters for the more acrobatic models, and up
to 50 to 70 meters for the largest, parade and ceremonial styles, since part of the myth of the
dragon is that the longer the creature, the more luck it will bring. The size and length of a dragon
depend on the human power available, financial power, materials, skills and size of the field. Its
length typically ranges from 9 sections to 15 sections long, though some dragons are as long as
46 sections.
A small organization cannot afford to run a very long dragon because it consumes great human
power, great expenses and special skills which are difficult to manage. The normal length and
size of the body recommended for the dragon is 112 feet (34 meters) and is divided into 9 major
sections. The distance of each minor (rib-like) section is 14 inches apart; therefore, the body has
81 rings. History tells us that the dragon dance is performed in various ways, types and colors.
Green is sometimes selected as a main color of the dragon, which symbolizes a great harvest.
Other colors include: yellow symbolizing the solemn empire, golden or silver colors symbolizing
prosperity, red color representing excitement while its scales and tail are mostly beautiful silver
colors and glittering at all times which provides a feeling of joyous atmosphere. As the Dragon
dance is not performed every day, the cloth of the dragon is to be removed and to have a new
touch of ultra-paint before the next performance.
The correct combination and proper timing of the different parts of the dragon are very important
to make a successful dance. Any mistakes made by even some of the performers would spoil the
whole performance. To be very successful in the dance, the head of the Dragon must be able to
co-operate with the body in combination with the timing of the drum. For larger ceremonial and
parade style dragons, the head can weigh as much as 12 katis (14.4 kg, almost 32 lb). The dragon
tail also has an important role to play as it will have to keep in time with head movements. The
fifth section is considered to be the middle portion and the performers must be very alert as the
body movements change from time to time.
In competition performances however, there are strict rules governing the specifications of the
dragon body and the routine performed, and so dragons made for these events and what are
mostly seen in the impressive stage shows are made for speed and agility, to be used by the
performing team for maximum trick difficulty. In these dragons, the head is smaller and light
enough to be whipped around, and must be a minimum of 3 kg, the body pieces are a light
aluminium with cane and the majority of the hoops will be very thin PVC tubing. Performances
are typically made into 8-10 minute routines with an accompanying percussion set.[2]
A double dragon dance at Chongqing, China in September 2002 during a week-long celebration of
China's National Day
A double dragon dance, rarely seen in Western exhibitions, involves two troupes of dancers
intertwining the dragons. Even rarer are dances with the full array of nine dragons, since nine is a
"perfect" number. Such dances involve large number of participants from various organizations,
and are often only possible under the auspices of the greater community.
The patterns of the dragon dance are choreographed according to the skills and experiences
acquired by the performers. Some of the patterns of the dragon dance are "Cloud Cave",
"Whirlpool", Tai-Chi pattern, "threading the money", "looking for pearl", and "dragon encircling
the pillar". The movement "dragon chasing the pearl" shows that the dragon is continually in the
pursuit of wisdom.
The dragon moves in a wave-like pattern achieved by the co-ordinated swinging of each section
in succession. Whilst this swinging constitutes the basic movement of the dragon, executing
more complex formations is only limited by a team’s creativity. The patterns and tricks that are
performed generally involve running into spiralled formations to make the dragon body turn and
twist on itself. This causes performers to jump over or through the dragon’s body sections,
adding to the visual display. Other advanced manoeuvres include various corkscrew-like rotating
tricks and more acrobatic moves where the performers stand on each others legs and shoulders to
increase the height of the dragon’s movements.[2]
Performing in a dragon dance team incorporates several elements and skills; it is something of a
cross-over activity, combining the training and mentality of a sports team with the stagecraft and
flair of a performing arts troupe. The basic skills are simple to learn, however to become a
competent performer takes dedicated training until movements become second nature and
complex formations can be achieved – which rely not only on the skill of the individual member,
but on concentration by the team as a whole to move in co-operation.[2
Chinese New Year Foods
Dishes to Bring Good Fortune to Your Home & Family
"Chi fan le mei you?" "Have you eaten yet?" Is a common greeting to guests as
they enter your home to celebrate the Spring Festival, also known as the
Chinese New Year throughout the west. Many of the traditions of Chinese New
Year center around food either being cooked or eaten.
To all people who trace their roots back to China, the most important date in the
Lunar calendar is Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, a traditional time for feasting
with family and friends that dates back thousands of years.
As at all traditional Chinese gatherings, food plays an important role in the Chinese New
Year Festival. Dinners tend to be very elaborate involving tables laden with auspicious
foods.
On New Year's Eve, families have a reunion feast which includes nian gao, a sticky rice
pudding cake which is said to make people "advance toward higher positions and
prosperity step by step." A New Year's Eve tradition from Northern China, dumplings (jiao
zi), look like the golden ingots yuan bao used during the Ming Dynasty for money and the
name sound like the word for the earliest paper money, so serving them brings the
promise of wealth and prosperity!
Many families eat these at midnight so they have money at the changing of the years.
Some cooks will hide a clean coin in one for the most lucky to find. Long noodles are used
to guarantee that all at the table will have a long life.
Whether fish or fowl, dishes are prepared whole. The use of knives or cleavers
are considerd unlucky as this could sever the entire family's good fortune.
Almost every dish has a symbolic meaning or name that sounds like a Chinese characters
for fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity. Hoe see fat choy, hair seaweed (fat choy)
with dried oysters (ho see) sounds like "wealth and good business," lotus roots (lin ngau)
mean abundance year after year, while lettuce translates into "growing wealth" and pig's
tongue forecasts "profit." When Cantonese families visit each other to exchange New Year
greetings it is customary to take gifts such as tangerines and oranges, as their Chinese
names sound like "gold" and "wealth". In many homes, a platter with either five meat or
five vegetable dishes might be served. Whether meat or vegetable dishes are included,
this dish is called "the five blessings of the new year," referring to longevity, riches, peace,
wisdom and virtue.
On New Year's Eve, when everyone gathers around the table for the "Family Reunion
Dinner" carp is a typical main course, because it symbolises a profitable year ahead. The
fish is never fully eaten to ensure that the family will have an excess of good fortune
through the year. Vegetables embody the freshness of "evergreen" and store good fortune
in their roots. Fish balls (yu-wan) and meat balls (jou-wan) are symbolic of "reunion." The
round shape of the meat and fish balls portrays "togetherness." Great care is taken to
serve an even number of dishes to bestow "double happiness" on the family.
To ensure completeness and to avoid misfortune, most New Year dishes are prepared
with uncut or whole ingredients. You are probably familiar with a duck or chicken being
served with the head and feet. When cooking, people generally avoid chopping up fish,
leafy greens and other items such as noodles. In fact, using knives, cleavers or sharp
objects during the holiday season is considered unlucky as this could sever the entire
family's good fortune. If chopped ingredients are used for the recipes, they are prepared
before the Spring Festival to avoid the possibility of bad omens. This also makes the work
of preparing the feasts a bit easier during the festival!
Customs dictates that most families begin the first day of Chinese New Year with a
vegetarian meal to counteract the effects of the excessive feasting on New Year's Eve.
The choice of vegetables may include exotic types of mushrooms, bamboo shoots and
bean sprouts. The meat-free meal is also considered fortuitous for garnering good karma
by refraining from eating anything that has been killed.
The third day of New Year is a day to avoid social interaction, since it's known as the "Day
of Squabbles". Staying home is considered the wise thing to do, and what better to spend
the day than a continuing to indulge in eating mouth-watering New Year treats? Again,
auspicious-sounding ingredients such as lettuce and seaweed top the list of ingredients
used in preparing sumptuous meals for all the family. The dawn of the fourth day marks
the return of the Kitchen God after a brief trip back to Heaven where it had delivered an
account of the families' behaviour over the previous 12 months.
The seventh day of the New Year is known as "Everybody's Birthday" — a day for all to
celebrate new birth with yet another round of delightful feasts. Many years ago those who
aspired to receive specific blessings — such as scoring the highest marks in an Imperial
Exam — would dine on symbolic dishes that would include the "Scholar's Congee" (a dish
made from boiled rice, pork and a pig's internal organs).
The 15th day of the New Year marks China's very own Valentine's Day, which is also
known as the Lantern Festival. Decorative lanterns are hung both indoors and outdoors
and lantern parties become the major attraction for everyone to enjoy. A typical Lantern
Festival treat called "Yuan Siu" — round glutinous rice balls stuffed with sweet fillings are
eaten to symbolise togetherness and completeness.
A family activity during the festive spring season might include visiting walled villages to
sample their fire pot "big bowl feast" ("Poon Tsoi" in Cantonese), which is regarded as a
hearty treat when the weather is chilly. A traditional fire pot is a fondue style meal served
in a wooden dish filled with layers of vegetables, meat and seafood. The base is usual
lined with Chinese lettuce, sang choi, which sounds very much like the word meaning "to
bring about wealth and riches." Cooked turnip, which has been chopped and cooked with
stir-fried pork skin, strips of bean curd, bean curd balls or fish balls make the next layer.
On top comes a layer of dried squid, roast pork, dried oysters, braised lotus roots and
chicken. The tastes and flavours of this mouth-watering dish are enough to whet the
appetite of the fussiest eater.
During the New Year month, auspicious ingredients such as oysters, seaweed, abalone,
and sea cucumber are added to the feast as symbols of good fortune. Fish (yu) represent
"having enough to spare," while the word for garlic chives sounds like chiu-tsai and has the
meaning of "everlasting," wishing your family and guest a long life. Turnips (tsai tou) mean
"good omens." Hao, oysters, sounds like the word for "an auspicious occasion or event."
Source...
The Hong Kong Tourist Board was the primary source for this information, although this
was supplemented by many other friends and resources.
Chinese New Year Celebration is the most important celebration of the year. Chinese people may
celebrate the Chinese New Year in slightly different ways but their wishes are almost the same; they
want their family members and friends to be healthy and lucky during next year.
Chinese New Year Celebration usually lasts for 15 days. Celebratory activities include Chinese New
Feast, firecrackers, giving lucky money to children, the New Year bell ringing and Chinese New Year
Greetings. Most of Chinese people will stop the celebrating in their home on the 7th day of New Year
because the national holiday usually ends around that day, however celebrations in public areas can
House Cleaning
To clean houses on the New Year Even is a very old custom dating back to thousands of years ago.
The dust is traditionally associated with “old” so cleaning their houses and sweeping the dust mean to
bid farewell to the “old” and usher in the “new”. Days before the New Year, Chinese families clean
their houses, sweeping the floor, washing daily things, cleaning the spider webs and dredging the
ditches. People do all these things happily in the hope of a good coming year.
House decoration
One of the house decorations is to post couplets on doors. On the Spring Festival couplets, good
wishes are expressed. New Year couplets are usually posted in pairs as even numbers are associated
People in north China are used to posting paper-cut on their windows. When sticking the window
decoration paper-cuts, people paste on the door large red Chinese character A red means good
luck and fortune, so it is customary to post on doors or walls on auspicious occasions such as
wedding, festivals.
The first bell ringing is the symbol of Chinese New Year. Chinese people like to go to a large squares
where there are huge bells are set up on New Year‟s Eve. As the New Year approaches they count
down and celebrate together. The people believe that the ringing of huge bell can drive all the bad
luck away and bring the fortune to them. In recent years, some people have begun going to mountain
temples to wait for the first ringing. Hanshan Temple in Suzhou, is very famous temple for its first
ringing of the bell to herald Chinese New Year. Many foreigners now go to Hanshan Temple to
Shousui means to stay up late or all night on New Year's Eve. After the great dinner, families sit
together and chat happily to wait for the New Year‟s arrival.
Spring Festival is a time for family reunion. The New Year's Feast is "a must" banquet with all the
family members getting together. The food eaten on the New Year Even banquet varies according to
regions. In south China, It is customary to eat "niangao" (New Year cake made of glutinous rice flour)
because as a homophone, niangao means "higher and higher every year". In the north, a traditional
dish for the feast is "Jiaozi" or dumplings shaped like a crescent moon.
Setting Firecrackers
Lighting Firecrackers used to be one of the most important customs in the Spring Festival celebration.
However, concerning the danger and the negative noises that lighting firecrackers may bring, the
government has banned this practice in many major cities. But people in small towns and rural areas
still hold to this traditional celebration. Right as the clock strike 12 o'clock midnight of New Year's Eve,
cities and towns are lit up with the glitter from fireworks, and the sound can be deafening. Families
stay up for this joyful moment and kids with firecrackers in one hand and a lighter in another
cheerfully light their happiness in this especial occasion, even though they plug their ears.
On the first day of the New Year or shortly thereafter, everybody wears new clothes and greets
relatives and friends with bows and Gongxi (congratulations), wishing each other good luck, happiness
during the new year. In Chinese villages, some villagers may have hundreds of relatives so they have
On the first day of the new year, it‟s customary for the younger generations to visit the elders, wishing
Because visiting relatives and friends takes a lot of time, now, some busy people will send New Year
cards to express their good wishes rather than pay a visit personally.
Lucky Money
It is the money given to kids from their parents and grandparents as New Year gift. The money is
believed to bring good luck, ward off monsters; hence the name "lucky money". Parents and
grandparents first put money in small, especially-made red envelopes and give the red envelopes to
their kids after the New Year's Feast or when they come to visit them on the New Year. They choose
to put the money in red envelopes because Chinese people think red is a lucky color. They want to
There are traditionally many taboos associated with the New Year Festival, but in recent years some of
them have been discarded, especially among urban populations in larger cities. Examples of typical
New Year taboos are the following: on the first day of the new year, a woman may not leave her
house, otherwise she will be plagued with bad luck for the entirety of the coming year; a married
daughter is not allowed to pay a visit to the house of her parents as a visit from a married daughter
on this day is believed to bring bad luck to the parents, causing economic hardship for the family; the
act of sweeping on this day is associated with sweeping wealth away, therefore Chinese people do not
During the New Year Festival season (from the 1st to 15th of the Lunar New Year) the following
taboos apply: the cry of a child is believed to bring bad luck to the family, so parents do their best to
keep children from crying by whatever means possible; the act of breaking tools or other equipment
during this period is associated with a loss of wealth for the coming year, therefore tradesmen and
business people in general take great precaution to avoid damaging their tools and equipment; a visit
to the hospital during this period is believed to bring illness to the person in question for the duration
of coming year, therefore visits to the hospital are avoided except in cases of extreme emergency.
Chinese New Year Foods are very important to Chinese people. All family members come together to
eat at this time. Chinese New Year foods are not only delicious but it is traditional to eat certain foods
over this festival. Chinese Dumplings, Fish, Spring Rolls, Nian Gao are usually seen as delicious and
Chinese Dumplings: Chinese Dumplings look like silver ingots. Legend has it that the more
dumplings you eat during New Year celebration, more money you can make in the New Year. Almost
all Chinese people can make dumplings, first mix the dough, second make the dough into wrappers by
a rolling pin, third fill the wrappers with pork, beef, vegetable, fish or anything else can be used as
stuffing.
Fish: In Chinese, Fish sounds like "save more". Chinese People always like save more money at the
end of year because they think if they save more, they can make more in the next year.
Spring Roll: People like Spring Roll because they are nutritious and delicious. Spring Rolls contain
pork and vegetable. They can be easily taken on picnics. They get their name because they are
the higher you are, the more prosperous your business is. Main ingredients of Nian Gao are sticky rice,
Traveling China during the Spring Festival time has both advantages and disadvantages. It is wise to
1. Most of the Chinese will be at home with their families and there will be less people at tourist
attractions.
3. You will be able to see authentic celebrations such as fireworks Dragon Dancing, Lion Dancing,
Disadvantages:
1. Trains will be crowded during the period of Spring Festival, so try to avoid travelling by rail if at all
possible.
3.Collect as much information on Chinese New Year celebrations in the city you are going to stay, such
as firework shows, temple fairs and other celebrative activities for the locals.
4. Learn enough about cultures of Chinese New Year, and get familiar about what Chinese locals will
6.Chinese people prepare a lot of luxurious and delicious food during Spring Festival, what they eat is
rich in calorie, and people may get sick by having too much Chinese New Year food. It‟d better to
prepare some medicines in advance, and try to have a good control of the temptation of the
delicacies.
Who are hungry ghost?
See how much food were prepared for the Hungry Ghost
Feast by Sungai Bakap Kee Kongsi (Clan House) in August
this year.
Qingming Festival
Photo
Dragon Boat Festival, with a history of over 2000 years, takes place
annually on May 5th. Since China is a vast country with many
nationalities and customs, the tradition may differ from region to
region. In general though, the main activities held on Dragon Boat
Festival are as follows: daughters return to their homes, the whole
family then participate in many activities such as: hanging the
portrait of Zhongkui (a man who is good at catching ghosts),
welcoming the “ghost boat”, hanging up calamus (also known as
Sweet Flag) and Chinese mugworts, dragon boat racing, watching or
competing in martial arts, drinking calamus wine, eating wudu pies,
salted eggs, zongzi (pyramid-shaped mass of glutinous rice wrapped
in leaves) and fresh vegetables. Some of the activities have been
exported and adopted by other countries. For example, dragon boat
racing has achieved international following.
Customs of Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon boat racing is the main activity of the Festival. One legend
has it that in ancient times, a famous minister named Qu Yuan
committed suicide by jumping into the Miluo River. People jumped
in their boats and rowed towards him. They tried to reach and
rescue him, but when they arrived at Dongting Lake, they could not
find his body. This is said to be the origin of Dragon Boat racing.
General Customs
Gazing at the Moon
Regional Customs
Customs of Middle-Autumn Festival in Old Beijing
Most of these customs have been forsaken with the modernization
of the city. Today, they are still remembered by those who strive to
keep their centuries-old tradition.
Watching the moon was very popular in Beijing. There are two
methods of moon-gazing: watching the moon directly and watching
the reflection of the moon in water. Other entertainments
accompanying watching the moon included writing prose, painting
the moon and guessing riddles written on lanterns.
Watching Flowers
Hanging lanterns