The Chinese New Year is observed by about 1.3 billion people by various cultures and countries. In China, the festival is celebrated to show respect for ancestors, family and friends. The festival is also a time to hanker back to good old times when families get together for feasts and a day of traditions followed by the month of Spring Festival that marks the start of Spring.
Although many countries celebrate Chinese New Year differently, there are some interesting things we can learn from others that celebrate it in a unique way like how South East Asia celebrates it. Here are some highlights:
- It’s called Lunar New Year in South East Asia (LNY). It is an important time to visit relatives and friends who have come over from abroad. The family will usually gather to share stories and enjoy new years treats like bak kut teh, noodles or chestnuts after preparing traditional dishes such as roast duck, pork intestine stuffed with minced meat balls topped with egg yolk sauce and a hot pot of clear soup containing fowls or vegetables served with boiled rice. Some households may throw hundreds of red packets filled with money outside their homes on this festive occasion hoping their children will be more prosperous in 2019 so they don’t need to do any begging at all – if only it were true!
- A large number of fireworks are set off at midnight as part of celebration leading up to the eve or new year day itself – these fireworks look spectacular with loud bangs making its way into your bedroom while you sleep!
Singapore
The Chinese population in Singapore is estimated to be around 2 million. The country celebrates Chinese New Year on the first day of the first lunar month, which falls between February 15 and March 15 depending on your time zone. For this celebration, you can see lanterns lit at night or while you’re out and about during the day. You may also see dragon dances being performed during this time period as well!
Singapore has many Chinatowns. There’s Chinatown in Little India (where all the curry houses are), Chulia Street Chinatown (the oldest one), Tanjong Pagar Old Town (located near where I live) and Newton Circus; all these places were established because they had large populations with Chinese ancestry living there before World War II when many fled Europe due to persecution based off race/religion etc.. To celebrate their heritage they put together parades each year showing off colorful costumes wearing traditional masks or hats made out of cloth wrapped around sticks tied together so they look like umbrellas but without any handle!
Malaysia
Malaysia is a diverse country, with a population of over 30 million people. The Malaysian culture has been influenced by many different races and cultures throughout its history. As such, it’s no surprise that there are many different celebrations for Chinese New Year in Malaysia!
- Parades: These parades are held all over Kuala Lumpur (the capital city) on or around January 28th every year. They include people dressed up in traditional costumes dancing to music while carrying lanterns or flags through the streets—a great way to see how much this holiday means to people!
- Festivals: There are plenty of festivals throughout Malaysia during Chinese New Year that celebrate both local traditions as well as those from China itself! At one festival you’ll find performances by martial arts groups demonstrating their skills; at another you can participate in activities like dragon boat racing while enjoying delicious food provided by vendors who come out en masse each year.”
Philippines
The Philippines is a melting pot of different cultures, and the Chinese New Year is no exception. The country has been celebrating this holiday since the 18th century when it was first introduced by Spanish colonizers to Manila.
The festivities in Manila begin with a parade that features floats, marching bands and dancers on horseback. The parade continues into the night with street parties throughout Manila’s commercial district (the Quezon City area).
Filipinos celebrate Chinese New Year by participating in a variety of traditional activities, rituals, and customs. These activities include preparing and exchanging tikoy, attending parades and fireworks performances, wearing red clothing, and offering prayers for a prosperous and abundant year.
Tikoy is a type of sweet pastry made from glutinous rice and other ingredients, such as dried fruits, nuts, and sugar. It is often served during Chinese New Year and is a symbol of good luck and prosperity.
Thailand
In Thailand, the first day of the first lunar month is celebrated as Thai New Year. This holiday is called Songkran or Songkrabon in Thai and it falls on April 13th each year. The celebrations start by cleaning up your home or office and then eating a large meal with family and friends! It’s also common to buy gifts for others so make sure you have time to do this before they go back home (or wherever they will be spending their time).
Some people might think that buying presents doesn’t make sense because there are many other things you could spend money on instead like food or clothing but we don’t recommend doing this unless its something really unique like an experience like going skydiving without any training whatsoever – that would be pretty cool!
Thailand has a large Chinese community, and the holidays associated with Chinese New Year are widely celebrated. The celebrations are unique from those celebrated in China in that they are more subdued and focus on family gatherings and traditional foods. Common activities include decorating homes with red lanterns, setting off firecrackers, and giving angpaos (red envelopes containing money) to children. Many Thai-Chinese also observe the Chinese tradition of exchanging oranges and tangerines to represent good fortune.
Vietnam
If you’re in Vietnam this year, you’ll have a chance to celebrate the Chinese New Year with fireworks. Vietnamese people are known for their love of fireworks and they use them to celebrate all sorts of occasions, including weddings and festivals.
The festival itself is rooted in ancient history when Confucius and his followers were forced out of China by Qin Shihuang (who later became Emperor Qin Shi Huang). When he died after 285 years on the throne at around 210 BC, there was no one left who knew how to write down what had happened during that long period; so all records from before 100 BC were lost forever – until recently!
One of those old texts included an account of how Emperor Huangdi drove out evil spirits from humans during their springtime celebration instead using firecrackers as weapons against them – but none said anything about eating rice balls instead…
Cambodia
Cambodia is home to many Chinese-Khmer people, who celebrate the beginning of Chinese New Year in Phnom Penh. The Cambodian government organizes a parade with floats and firecrackers on the streets before midnight on February 16th. The celebrations also include fireworks and other festivities.
Myanmar (Burma)
The Burmese celebrate the new year with family and friends. It’s a time for reflection, gratitude, and giving thanks for all that you have in life.
The Burmese will also prepare by making resolutions for the upcoming year as well as setting up plans to achieve their goals. Most importantly they will make sure that everyone comes together at home or work parties where they can enjoy themselves while celebrating Lunar New Year together!
Celebrations vary across South East Asia, but generally involve bonfires, parades and fireworks.
There are a lot of different ways to celebrate the Chinese New Year in South East Asia, but they all have one thing in common: fireworks.
Fireworks are a common theme at chinese new year celebrations. In Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, bonfires are lit on top of houses as part of their traditions. Parades are also popular among some Vietnamese communities and Malay communities in Malaysia (where they’re known as “Chinese New Year Festival”).
In Singapore and Indonesia—where most people come from China—celebrations vary slightly depending on where you live within those countries. The biggest difference is that while most Singaporeans go out for dinner together with family members on this day (called Family Day), Indonesian families usually spend their time at home celebrating together with friends or relatives who live nearby or close by them like cousins living just outside Jakarta’s city limits…
TAKEAWAY:
The celebrations vary across South East Asia but generally involve bonfires, parades and fireworks and red envelopes!
