How we love Chinese New Year Celebrations! This year is the Year of the Tiger and with that being said, I feel like 2022 will be a very special year. It has already felt like we literally leaped into the new year with a feeling of renewed energy, particularly since the recent challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
New Year, New Beginnings
As sure as the sun will rise, it is certain that the lead up to the Chinese New Year is akin to that of a well flavoured slow-cooked stew which melts into culinary happiness! There is a feeling of a year-ending sense of achievement. Eruptions of contented laughter, celebration of family, friendships and reunions fill the air. The nation takes a well-deserved holiday, a momentary pause to breathe and reflect on the past year whilst simultaneously preparing for the next.
Many families migrate back to their home towns where they reunite with familiar memories and loved ones. For many, this is the only time in the year to go back to their home towns, which is another reason why Chinese New Year holidays are so special.
Simultaneous Holiday of An Entire Nation!
There isn’t anywhere in the world that a whole country takes a holiday at the same time- imagine that happening with a population of more than 1 billion people?
For our Chinese New Year 2022 Celebrations, we traditionally visit Yu (or Yuyuan) Gardens in Shanghai to catapult us further into the heart of the festive feelings. We are so lucky that we get to see in two different types of New Year feelings in such close succession.
It is truly palpable, the happiness that is spilling onto the streets. Everyone has a smile stetching from ear to ear! Saying the words “xin ninan kuai le” brings a warm glow to the strangers we pass in the streets. My favourite is the twinkle that comes from elderly grandma’s and grandpa’s- this for me is the treasure. It is so easy to imagine the history that their eyes have seen over the years. It would also be interesting to find out more from them how current practices compare with the old. It would be really intriguing to also estimate how much effort is made into passing down the sweetly preserved traditions that keep the meaning of what the Chinese New Year celebrations are all about. This, I know is super important to the local people across the older generations.
We had an opportunity to hear and watch some fireworks with a family in the Suburbs of Shanghai on Chinese New Year Eve. We ate, played games and enjoyed sharing stories well into the late hours of the Chinese New Year.
We have a few more trips and travels during the week long break and I look forward to updating with more events of the holidays!
Happy New Year 2022, Year of the Tiger!
