A fifth of the world's population celebrates Spring Festival
On Thursday, February 19, the Chinese New Year begins. Over one billion people globally celebrate the beginning of spring. This Spring Festival is viewed as the most important holiday in China and other Asian countries.
The Goat follows the Horse
The Year of the Horse has come to an end. Now the Year of the Goat, which is one of twelve symbolic animals, begins. The goat stands for gentleness, peace, and love. The New Year begins with the new moon in the first month of the Chinese moon calendar.
Mass migration
The Spring Festival is a family event. Public life and the economy stand still for one week. In particular, the migrant workers, who have been earning money throughout the year away from their homes, get a chance to return. In 2014, the Chinese railways reported almost 270 million travelers during the month of the Spring Festival.
The great feast
As part of the ritual, an extensive feast the night before the beginning of spring is where many generations meet and eat together. Especially in Northern China, dumplings called "Jiaozi" and "Nian Gao," a cake made out of sticky rice, are essential to the meal. The name of the cake also means "career advancement in the new year."
Firecrackers against evil spirits
The old year is traditionally regarded as an evil spirit which must be expelled with loud firecrackers. Here in Shenyang, chains of firecrackers are being prepared to be lit. Due to the poor air quality in many major cities, 536 cities have restricted the use of fireworks while 138 cities have completely banned them all together.
Tibetan New Year
The Tibetan New Year ("Losar") begins in 2015 on the same day as the Chinese New Year. Normally, it begins one new moon later. People celebrate here in the capital city, Lhasa, in front of the Potala Palace, wearing colorful costumes. In addition to the twelve symbolic animals, they also include five elements – therefore this year is the "Year of the Wooden Goat."
A holiday beyond China
Here in Thailand, Buddhists go to the temples and pray for health, wealth, and happiness. The Spring Festival is also an official holiday in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
The festival's color is red
Everywhere where the Spring Festival is celebrated, one sees only red – red lanterns, red pendants, and red calendars like in this Singapore market. Also children receive gifts of money traditionally presented in red envelopes. The Chinese word for red can also mean "happy."
The lion dance
The Chinese in the United States, like here in Seattle, perform a lion dance at the New Year's festivities. This ritual is supposed to bring luck. The dance has been increasingly popular in foreign Chinatowns.
The lion also dances on the Rhine
Over the past ten years, the German city of Düsseldorf has been organizing New Year's celebrations for its Chinese residents. The capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is becoming the center of Chinese investment in Europe. One fourth of the immigrant Chinese population in Germany lives in NRW.