Year after year, this festival triggers the largest wave of travel, the largest population movement worldwide. Chinese who have left their provinces, e.g. to earn their money in Shanghai, often save up their entire annual leave to go home for three weeks during this time. The entire economy calculates these days firmly into the annual planning. The meaning of the New Year festival is roughly comparable to our Christmas. The entire country stands still for a while and celebrates. Many shops are closed, especially on the days immediately around New Year's - unusual for a country that is otherwise always busy. The Lunar New Year occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice, between January 21st and February 20th. The last day of the year is celebrated like our New Year's Eve. The family is together, there is a feast and then the old year is said goodbye with fireworks. The next day, the first day of the new year, one visits relatives. After 15 days, the celebrations will end with the Lantern Festival, another holiday in the Chinese calendar. This year the last day of the old year is January 31st. The year of the tiger begins on February 1st.
Lots of gifts are given, especially small red envelopes with banknotes in them. In the meantime, in a society that is gradually becoming cashless, online payment services such as Alipay also offer the option of sending small, digital, red envelopes with a sum of money. Monetary gifts can ideally contain the numbers six or eight. The number 6 stands for money and wealth, the number 8 promises infinite luck.
Red is the color of luck in China, not only the envelopes for gifts of money are red, everything else these days around the New Year festival as well. Decorated with bright red and gold decoration, red paper strips with verses in Chinese calligraphy are attached to the frames of the apartment or house entrance doors, one strip on the lintel and one on each doorpost, in the middle of the door hangs an ornate structure with the sign "Fu" which stands for luck and blessings of money. Paper cuttings, also with the Fu sign, are hung on the window panes.
One can wear red underwear or red socks, white clothing should be avoided these days, it represents death. Red drives away evil spirits, as does fireworks, which were invented in China. In the meantime, however, fireworks are also banned in China in the big cities due to fine dust pollution. Dragon and lion dances are performed, and mahjong is played at home, the ancient Chinese game noted for the distinctive sound of the tiles clicking together. The old town of Shanghai is particularly festively decorated these days. Large, internally lit, lantern-like objects set the mood for the Year of the Tiger.
The Yu Yuen Garden, the preserved or reconstructed part of the Chinese old town, is well visited in the evenings by families who look at the light objects and walk under the lanterns.
Some children get their own little lantern to walk around with, it looks a bit like our Martinsfest. The atmosphere is solemn and one has the impression that many children are happy and that the atmosphere of these days is burned into their memories as a particularly beautiful memory.
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