恭喜发财

Lunar Festival in Thailand

In Thailand, the Lunar New Year’s festival is almost identical to the one in China due to the influence of trading between China and Thailand (and the geographical factors as well).

Many people in Thailand have Chinese ancestors, so we celebrate it as well. This is usually in famous places like Soho (which Thailand has as well), otherwise known as the เยาวราช (Yaowarat), and it includes street Thai food and Chinese food.

In households throughout Thailand, many often go to Yaowarat to buy incense and other offerings to make to the Chinese gods and warriors, and the Buddha (both the Hindu-buddhist buddha and the Eastern buddha), as it is also regarded as a sacred day.

Celebrating Chinese New Year Away From Hong Kong

Celebrations in the UK are massively different to those in Hong Kong. There, we would spend each day visiting each member of our extended family: usually partying until late at night.

Due to the obvious lack of family living in the UK, my mom and I have decided to celebrate the Lunar New Year with neighbours and friends instead!

Before all the celebrations start, my mom and I make sure to clean our flat thoroughly, as it symbolises sweeping away the bad luck from the year before.

We usually make traditional Chinese carrot cake and distribute it around the neighbourhood – just the thought of the cakes is enough to make me salivate...

At school, my friends and I hang red banners and signs with messages of good luck and fortune around the boarding house. It’s nice to see my friends of different cultures participating in the celebrations with me. My favourite would have to be folding origami decorations, and my friends love it too. Although all of us aren’t quite as adept as we think we are (my rabbit looked like a crab), it's still great fun gathering and attempting the more complex patterns as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Sigrid (Yr12)

Seniors usually give the family red packets filled with money, called angpao. After that, the family receives the prayers of the seniors. In the early morning, monks often walk the streets for food – this is called Binthabaht, as monks are not permitted to cook and therefore must rely on the kindness of the villagers. So, the family usually wakes up very early in the morning to prepare food for the monks. Similarly, families also go to the temple to pray, as it is a festival and a ceremony usually occurs.

Companies and houses may also wish to bless their house or buildings by asking a monk to perform a ceremony there, and this can last up to three hours. You can donate to the temple using an envelope (which most Thai kids give to their peers to gain donations for certain ceremonies they hold), and in return the temple will pray in your name.

This festival is significant because friends and families gather together and most Thai people place a heavy importance on religion (Buddhism), and therefore they regard such a large ceremony being held as an extremely sacred day. This is also important for the Thai-Chinese relationship politically, as this shows that the relationship between Thailand and China is strong.

Yujin