Chinese New Year
| Date: 10 -13 February. 2007- 2008 : Year of the Pig |
 You may be asking yourself, why would the Thai people celebrate the Chinese new year? Well the
reason is that the rivers of Thailand were used to trade between the Thai and the Chinese in ancient times.
Many trading routes were established this way and for many cneturies. As a result
many Chinese migrated to Thailand in the pursuit of making money from these trade routes.
Now there are a minority of Chinese people in Thailand. And it's no coincidence
that China Town, in many major cities, is located close to the trade rivers.
There are many Chinese festivals throughout the year. However
the Chinese New Year is by far the biggest event on the calender. Be warned though.
The use of vast quantities of fire crackers is mandatory for this festival. The Chinese
use the firecrackers to ward off evil spirits, and to wake up the good ones. |
| Day 1: The first day of the Chinese New Year is a day about remembrance and about gratitude to their ancestral spirits that watch over them. A family will spend the day cleaning the house and preparing for the celebrations. This includes going shopping to buy the items needed for the celebrations but also for the ritual offerings. |
| Day 2: The second day is a day of festive celebrations. This is when the extended family meets to renew their ties to one another. The children of the family are given red envelopes called 'Ang Pow'. The envelopes are red because that is the colour of happiness and luck. The gifts are a symbol of bringing happiness and good luck to a family member for the rest of the year. |
 Day 3:
The third day of the festival is
when a procession of Chinese deities and guardian spirits
are remembered in public. Which includes the procession of
the Golden Dragon. All these celebrations started in the Hun
dynasty. The mythical figure of the golden dragon is
extremely important in Chinese culture. The golden dragon
has great powers, including the control of the elements -
water, wind and fire. It is also the custodian of the
seasons and is the source of life and prosperity on earth.
Any individual that comes into contact with the golden
dragon will be blessed with good luck and good fortune. The
dance of the dragon ends when the dragon climbs a pole to
take a red envelope 'Ang Pow'. If the dragon is successful
then there will be good luck and fortune for the rest of the
year.Other deities and guardian spirits are remembered on this day. They are given offerings in the hope that health, wealth, prosperity and good fortune are bestowed upon them for the rest of the year. |
 Day 4:
The forth day involves more public processions. However this
time they include a flag, marching bands, the Lion Dance and
various ethnic minorities, such as the Cantonese, Tae Chiew
and Hainan Chinese. The goddess, Kuan Im, has a procession
alongside other celestial beings.The traditional lion dance is the masked dance that is often shown on television. The lion is associated with courage, stability and superiority. It originated on the warfield, pre Sung dynasty, to scare opposing soldiers and beasts of war. Quite often the clashing symbols and rapidly moving colours would spook an animal. Later in the Sung dynasty the dance was performed before a stage performance. And later in the Ming dynasty the dance was used to scare away evil spirits. |
|
||
|
|
