Chinese New Year Celebration
by Our 2009 Chinese New Year celebration in Atlanta, GA.
Chinese New Year usually comes around January or February, depending on the Lunar Calendar. I moved from Hong Kong to Atlanta 10 years ago and I have started this traditional celebration as our annual family event. Not like other major cities in the U.S., Atlanta does not have a big China Town. In fact, the China Town here is more like an Asian Square which offers a very good mix of many Asian nationalities, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Malaysian, etc.
In our culture, Chinese New Year is a big thing, it is the most important festival of the year. It starts a few days before the Chinese New Year and everyone will prepare for the big celebration when the New Year Day arrives. On the 28th day of the last month of the year, we have to do a major cleanup within the house. This way we kick out all the bad luck and push away all the bad things from before so we get ready for the goodness and fortune to arrive along with the New Year. During the first few days of the New Year, we are actually not allowed to sweep the floor or do vacuuming, it is believed that cleaning will then kick out the good fortune that arrives along with the New Year.
New Year’s Eve is all about family reunion and the New Year’s Eve dinner is considered the most important meal within the family. It is very much like the tradition of Thanksgiving here in the U.S. No matter where you are, you will always try and want to go home for this New Year’s Eve dinner with the whole family. And after the dinner, the whole family will go out to the “Flower Market”. This is a special kind of “Flower Market” that merchants gather and hold usually only a few days before the New Year. People have the tradition to pick up certain kind of flowers to decorate the house that will bring fortune. For instance, tangerine is a very popular kind when it comes to Chinese New Year. It represents “gold” as the tangerine itself looks like.
This is the kind of tangerine tree we get for Chinese New Year. We hope to bring the “gold” into the house.
We get new clothes, new socks, new shoes, new pillows, beddings and even new tooth brush …. And for the last week of the year, my Mom usually gets very busy making and shopping for varieities of food for the New Year celebration. There are tons of special treats and food that we eat in particular to celebrate the New Year. The kind of food that symbolizes and brings good luck, fortune, prosperity, longevity and good health.
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Post CommentTICO
On February 13, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I enjoy your article about the chinese celebration in Atlanta. It was written in a nice and suttle way. Keep up the good work.
Gina
On February 15, 2009 at 6:07 am
Duet, Great job! We have to get back on track with our Chinese New Year celebration. See you soon.
Kenja
On February 15, 2009 at 6:57 am
Great job see you soon keep in touch.
Tasha
On February 15, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Duet, Super Job. You should be very proud of your article, and the pictures were great!
Susan
On February 15, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Duet,Wow, I learned a lot about the Chinese culture! Very informative. I wait with much anticipation for your next article.
Patricia Nieto
On February 15, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Wow…Great Job! It is such a detailed and nice article. Thanks to this I’ am learning and able to see what our tradition is like. Unfortunatelly in Miami we don’t have big Chinesse Community/China Town That organize such great parades. With your amazing description I got a good idea of the Chinese New year. Thanks a lot, keep up the good job! Congratulations.
Ms. Teresa
On February 16, 2009 at 8:00 am
Duet- I loved your article! I am ashamed to say that I had no idea of the importance of this holiday! Now, from your article, I have learned so much! Thank you for sharing this!
Donna Taddeo
On February 17, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Thank you Duet, this was a very interesting and informative article. I would like you hear more about the chinese culture and traditions. Great job.
Star Dust
On February 17, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Thank you all for your feedback and comments. I really appreciate the support. About Chinese culture and traditions, I do feel like I have much more to tell. I will certainly try to write more from now on. I am so glad that I can have this corner to express about my views and to share my stories. Thanks again!
Vanessa
On February 20, 2009 at 12:44 am
I enjoyed the article Duet! Chinese New Year is definetely a rich tradition worth cultivating and enjoying.
Vanessa-
Tío José
On February 21, 2009 at 11:41 am
Very interesting. Good job.
Your tradition of cleaning the house to get rid of all the bad luck and bad things from the previous year reminds me of something I read about the festival of Las Fallas in Valencia, Spain. In medieval times, around Saint Joseph’s Day, the carpenter guilds would clean their shops and have a huge bonfire. This tradition has turned into a huge festival in Valencia where they burn hundreds of floats (called fallas/errors) to symbolize the purification of the city.
R J Evans
On June 19, 2009 at 10:56 am
An interesting look in to the celebrations of part of the diaspora. Thanks for sharing!
sgkeat
On January 30, 2011 at 9:28 am
Gong Xi Fa Cai ! Wan Shi Ru Yi!