TEMA: Generation Jesus
Chinese New Year's gather diaspora communities: “Like brothers and sisters”
The cultural celebration with many names; The Lunar New Years, Spring Festival – and most commonly known in western cultures as Chinese New Year. Hua Zhu, Professor of Language Learning and Intercultural Communication at UCL, calls it a “multicultural event”, celebrated by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide.
The Chinese New Year's tradition is more than 3.500 years old, with its origin back to the Shang Dynasty.
Today, it is widely celebrated throughout China and East – and Southeast Asia, but it is also very dominant in global diasporas outside of Asia. These native communities represents a small, yet meaningful, part of the international celebration.
Thinking back on her Chinese roots, Professor Hua Zhu says,
“Our culture has that openness. It’s not a restrictive or religious holiday,” she adds,
"Strangers are curious to engage and be a part of it.”
Cultural pride to be shared
The wide interest and inclusion in the festive activities can be seen widespread.
Hua Zhu mentions the annual significance of 700.000 visitors joining the celebration at 'Trafalgar Square in London', among other locations. New York City also hosts 100.000 attendees for their Manhattan Lunar New Year Parade, while Chinatown in Sydney, Australia represents 500.000 people annually.
The celebration is an explosion of colorful rituals, traditional dancing and singing, with its roots to the element of family and reunions with your loved ones.
The costume of the 16-day long holiday varies from culture to culture, but it is consistently associated with the cycle of the 12 animals, or ‘Chinese Zodicas’.
This year, on February 17th, we are according to the lunisolar calendar entering 'the year of the horse'. This holiday falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, and differs from the internationlly used Gregorian calender.
Like Christmas or Thanksgiving
In Scandinavian countries, like Denmark, ‘Aarhus Chinese Cultural Association’ facilitates a yearly celebration for the community. No matter background or knowledge, all guests are warmly welcomed with entertainment and cultural performances.
The importance of this holiday is prominent,
“In terms of importance, it’s comparable with Christmas for the British people and Thanksgiving for the Americans,” Professor Hua Zhu states.
Li Ning, Vice Chairman of ACCA adds:
“We come together to share joy and exchange good wishes; it gives me strength and energy for the challenges of the new year,” she elaborates,
“Besides celebrating with our own family, our community members also feel like family – like brothers and sisters.”
