Chinese New Year, also often called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is a very powerful holiday celebrated by Chinese communities around the globe, including in Southeast Asia. The celebration normally lasts 15 days and is a time when families gather, exchange gifts and feast on traditional dishes.
In Southeast Asia, countries with large Chinese populations, comparable to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, rejoice Chinese New Year by combining traditional and native customs. One of essentially the most noteworthy traditions is the lion dance, which is performed by teams of dancers wearing colourful lion costumes. It is believed that the lion dance brings good luck and scares away evil spirits.
Another popular tradition is the exchange of red envelopes stuffed with money, called “ang pao”, which is given to children and single adults as an emblem of happiness and prosperity.
Food also plays a giant role in Chinese New Year celebrations in Southeast Asia. Traditional foods comparable to noodles, rice cakes and whole fish are commonly served throughout the festival.
In addition to those traditional customs, many Southeast Asian cities also organize large-scale celebrations on this occasion, comparable to parades, fireworks displays and cultural performances. These celebrations often feature colourful floats, dragon dances, and other cultural performances that showcase the wealthy cultural heritage of Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.
Generally, Chinese New Year is a time when families come together and rejoice the start of the lunar calendar with a mix of traditional customs, food and cultural performances in Southeast Asia.
