How Do Cantonese People Celebrate the Spring Festival?

As is well-known, the Spring Festival is the most important folk festival inChina. And with timepassing by, different areashavegradually developed their own,uniqueSpring Festival customs.

The Cantonese celebrateSpring Festival from December 23rd to January 15thbythelunar calendar. During this period there are specific customs and some traditionalactivities.

December 23rdto the New Year's Eve

During this time, people clean their house and do the Spring Festival shopping with their beloved families. People use new cleaning tools to clean up, for it is a symbol ofringingthe old year out and the new year in. It is also a time for people to have a new haircut and buy new clothes to make themselves look more refreshed for the New Year. Overall, all preparations are done for the Chinese NewYear.

The Spring Festival Flower Fair

The New Year's Eve

This day is the last day of a year. Couplets will be posted in every household symbolizinga new year's beginning. Other New Year pictures or paper-cuts will alsobe used todecorate around the house, which makes the house more festive.

In the afternoon, the Cantonese to go to the Spring Festival Flower Fair to buy flowers for decoration because they believe “fortune comes with blooming flowers”.

Then in the evening, people will have a feast called the reunion dinner. All those who work or study far from home will go bsack and be reunited with their families. In this special meal, every dish is a metaphor for good luck. For example, fish signifies abundance, bean curd sheet rollsrepresents richness,lettuce is a symbol of wealth,and so on.After dinner, they watch the Spring Festival Gala onCCTV1 togetherand then stay up late oreven spend all night on the New Year's Eve. When the next day comes, people will congratulate each other and give lucky money to the kids.

The Spring Festival Gala Evening

January 1stto January 15thby Lunar Calendar

The New Year comes and everywhere is decked out with lights and happy faces. Both adults and children put on their most beautiful new clothes, wish each other happy, and say "gong xi fa cai". (It means being wealthy.)

On the first day, people willhave Cantonese morning tea, go shopping, visit the park or watch the Lion and Dragon Dances. On the second day of the New Year, people visit relatives and friends with gifts. Fromthe third day to the sixth day, people would like to have a short travel or continue visitingrelatives and friends. According to the legend, the seventh day of the New Year is the birthday of human beings. LiketheNew Year's Eve, people will have a feast on this day to celebrate the bigbirthday together.

And then comesJanuary 15thby the lunar calendar, which is called the Spring Lantern Festival. On this day, people will set offfireworks,have sweet dumplings and guess lantern riddles. This day heralds a complete end of the Spring Festival, after which people put intowork and new life again.

The sweetdumplings

The way the Cantonese celebrate the Spring Festival shows an optimistic, active and enjoyable lifestyle. No matter how people celebrate the Spring Festival, they all believe that the next year will be a new and successful year. That's the meaning of the Spring Festival –it brings people hope and fun in life.