Houses and streets festooned with red lanterns and calligraphy banners, the sound of firecrackers, dragon and lion dances snaking their way along roads accompanied by a cacophony of drums have come to symbolize the Chinese New Year, the most important event for Chinese communities all over the world when families come together to engage in fifteen days of ancient rites to eliminate bad luck and invite good luck for the rest of the year.
Heralding the first day of the first month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Chinese New Year sets off a plethora of celebrations and observations based on ancient rites. The preparations start many days ahead of the actual event. Houses are spruced up and thoroughly cleaned to get rid of bad luck and some even give a coat of red paint to doors and windows. Celebrants are also expected to neaten up their lives by getting rid of any bad practices of the past. All shopping and food preparation for the festivities and the accompanying religious ceremonies are prepared in the days preceding the New Year as it is considered bad luck to do any sort of work on New Years Day; besides all shops will be closed for two weeks anyway.
On New Years Eve itself, the most important activity is the family dinner prepared according to tradition to bring good luck. The theme here is reunion and thanksgiving. However married daughters are not permitted as they will be visiting parents on the second day. Prayers are offered to the gods, to ancestors and wandering souls and much gold paper burned hoping it will be turned into money in the future. It is also the time to prevent the evil Nian from ravaging homes. Food is put out to keep this mythical beast busy and lighting fire crackers is also supposed to keep the beast at bay. Wearing red and decorating houses with red objects is also supposed to stop the beast in its tracks.
On the first day of the New Year more prayers are offered to various deities and ancestors and elders are honoured with visits and presents. Married family members give much anticipated money in red envelopes to the younger members. Lion dances are invited by some households to chase away bad luck and to welcome the New Year. The event is celebrated over fifteen days with various traditional rituals being observed each day concluding with the lantern festival to guide wandering souls back home.
As with Chinese communities everywhere, Bangkoks Yaowaraj street in Chinatown comes alive for the New Year with residences and shops decorated with red lanterns, dragon dancers and acrobats performing in the street to the accompaniment of drums and the inevitable din of firecrackers and the quieter traditional celebrations marked by the gathering of family and friends for traditional and religious observances.
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