Significance of Chinese New Year?

I am wondering what Chinese New Year truly means. As I know very sparsely abt this festival, I can only guess that it could be the celebration of the first day of Lunar calender, same as the first day of Western calender. We pop English New Year with fireworks, rap music, partying dance and shaking of hands to wish happy new year. It is simple unlike Chinese New Year.

Why fuss so much just to welcome the first day of Lunar calender? We buy goodies, new clothes and spring-clean. On the eve, there is a last-min rush to supermarkets to pack up the food for reunion dinner. Fuss over this and that.

On seeing that the celebrations are so elaborate and fuss-packed, it simulated my curiosity to peep over Internet to find out the meaning of this festival. After quick reading, my knowledge increased to 0.01% that Chinese New Year means "spring-cleaning".

Many older generations are faithful to their traditions and keep up with their celebrations. We young people think that it is a boring festival, and hop on planes for get-away holidays during that period of time.

Every year, it is a quiet affair for me as I have no relatives in this country, Singapore. Only in Malaysia. I treat it as a holiday of eating pineapple tarts and harvesting angpows.

I wish you Gong Xi Fa Cai!

posted by Sleek Black @ 2/02/2006 11:15:00 AM