THE MOST IMPORTANT HOLIDAYS OF EAST AND WEST

    The Spring Festival (Clunjie), also known for the rest of the world as the Chinese New Year, was celebrated on February 8th of 2016. This is the most important celebration in China, comparable with our Christmas party. An interesting fact is that Christmas always falls on the same day, December 25th, but instead, the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. It is held in conjunction with the first new moon of the lunar calendar, always between January 21th and February 20th.This essay sets out to take a look at the traditions of the Chinese New Year in order to see the many differences and similarities between the two parties, and in consequence, draw some conclusions.

    The first example is the origin of both of them. In one hand, Christmas is a religious festival linked to Catholicism, in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ; but on the other hand, Chinese New Year, linked to rural life, has pagan roots. According to Chinese mythology, the Spring Festival dates back to an ancient legend about a dragon called Nian that used to go to the villages to devour children and livestock. This terrible monster could not use the red objects or being exposed to loud noises, which scared him to death. For this reason, chinese people have the custom to greet the arrival of New Year with fireworks and the use of red color.

    The next example is related to gifts. Children awaits anxiously for Santa Claus to bring their presents. Adults exchange different kinds of gifts, often food and drinks or sometimes even money, especially within the family. The exchange of gifts is also typical during the Chinese New Year. The most common offering is the “red envelope” (Hongbao) containing money. This envelope is usually donated to children. Adults usually exchange different presents such as fruit baskets, cakes and alcohol.  

    Once the family has gathered, the best way to celebrate Christmas is eating and drinking together. Each region has its own cuisine though everyone celebrates staying several hours at the table and eating traditional Christmas food, such as turkey, salads, nuts and cakes. In general every meeting with family and friends has to do with food and drinks. Likewise, Chinese New Year is also celebrated around the table, eating traditional meals together. Some foods are typical of this event for its symbolic meaning, sometimes tied to its Chinese name or appearance. For example, it is almost compulsory to eat fish. In fact the word “fish” (yú) sounds exactly like the word “abundance” (yú), so, for them, eating fish brings luck and prosperity in the new year. Another typical meal of this holiday are the raviolis (jiaozi) stuffed with meat and vegetables. The “Jiaozi” represents wealth and prosperity, due to its shape reminiscent of ancient Chinese coins.

    Another interesting aspect is that during the Christmas period the streets of the city, shops and houses are decorated with lights and Christmas trees. The typical Christmas colors are red, green and gold. In China, during the Spring Festival streets, shops and houses are also decorated. In this case, the typical decorations are made of red paper and elegant carved red string knots. The typical colors of this feast are red (because of the legend mentioned before) and gold.

    To summarize, taking into account all of these aspects, we can agree that these events are very important rituals for every community they represent, no matter if they are celebrated through parades, foods, entertainment, music or costumes.  Also, although the east and the west may look completely different worlds, comparing their most important holidays the commonalities emerge clearly.