The largest festival of the most populous country in the world, Chinese New Year is celebrated widely in its home country and by expatriated communities in San Francisco, London, Johannesburg and every other major city in the world, but few places celebrate as grandly as Singapore. New Year is therefore a very big deal here and the city is lined with street parties and acrobats entertaining the crowds, whilst hawkers sell phenomenal traditional street food designed to sate the appetite. It is also one of the most colourful festivals in the world with a multitude of hanging paper lanterns creating an otherworldly atmosphere and the inevitable illuminated dragons dance through the crowds. It is an event that feels uniquely Asian.
As is appropriate for a festival that was started to celebrate a successful harvest, food plays a very important role; a special meat porridge is eaten in the weeks preceding and a pineapple tart called "Ong Lai", which symbolizes good luck, is eaten on the day. This is accompanied by peanut cookies representing longevity and a feast which also features many classic Chinese dishes. The tradition of "Lo Hei" is celebrated in the days after where a fish salad is tossed into the air, with many believing that the higher you throw the salad the more prosperity and luck will come your way. Best to watch from a safe distance!
One of the many traditions of Chinese New Year is to cleanse your home and rid it of the ghosts of the past year. Many houses spring clean before painting the doors and windows a bright nationalistic red that wards off future demons. It is clearly evident that the refreshing quality that New Year possesses for many Chinese is highly symbolic as the masses appear in new dresses, suits and other formal garments. Whereas in the West much of the tradition has gone from New Year, replaced with excessive drinking and partying, the Chinese have successfully modernized the festival whilst retaining core elements to be passed on to future generations.
The highlight in Singapore is undoubtedly a remarkable fireworks display that takes place over Chinatown. As expected from the nation that invented gunpowder, the show is amazing and brings out the best of the famous Singapore skyline. One of the best places to view the proceedings at a safe distance is from Marina Bay, where the rush to get access to the famous rooftop bar almost matches that for the street food below.
If you are lucky enough to be in Singapore for this incredible festival, be sure to dive in and savour the many experiences on offer as there are few places in the world with this volume of traditional music, dancing and authentic culture in an easily accessible environment. All elements of Singaporean society take part and the multicultural atmosphere is far removed from the repetitive alcohol-fuelled celebrations of elsewhere. A heady celebration in one of the best cities in the world.
We booked for Singapore through Islandesia.com a new portal for Asian travel.
Article Source: M_E_Docherty
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