The onset of the next year in the Celestial Empire does not coincide with the usual dates for the rest of the world. The holiday falls on different dates, and its arrival depends on the lunar calendar. To see how the New Year is celebrated in China, thousands of tourists go every year, despite the traditionally soaring prices for air tickets, hotels and any services. Needless to say, the lucky ones are in for an amazing and vivid sight, which is worth both a long flight and not too humane prices.
Play hide and seek with the monster
From time immemorial, the Chinese, on the eve of the onset of the next year, locked themselves in their homes in order to avoid meeting the monster. It is called Nian, and it will certainly devour all who do not hide. This is how the custom of staying at home, eating and praying appeared, which gradually turned into a tradition of New Year's family dinner. Children and grandchildren come to their father's house and, together with their elders, gluttonously feast for a long time at the festive table, symbolizing the wishes of prosperity and abundance in the future.
Over time, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire realized that Nian should be afraid of noise and began to use this knowledge in practice. When asked how the New Year is celebrated in China, eyewitnesses usually answer that it is too noisy. Rattles, music, lanterns and dances with paper dragons on the streets are the invariable attributes of the holiday that Niana is chased away, and red flags, flowers, garlands and fans are attributes that attract prosperity and prosperity.
Useful Tips
Simple recommendations will help to make the trip not too wasteful for the family budget:
- Determining the date for celebrating next New Year in China is very simple. It is enough to take the lunar calendar and find in it the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is he who will be the date of the holiday.
- Air tickets and hotels should be booked well in advance of the cherished date. So you will be able to save money and choose a room in a decent hotel. If you subscribe to the newsletter of airlines and travel agencies, you can profitably buy a tour or ticket in advance and at a discount.
- It is not necessary to fly to the capital or the largest metropolitan areas of the Middle Kingdom. You can also see how New Year is celebrated in China in small towns. There are a lot of people living there early on, and therefore the events are no less vivid and memorable. But the difference in price, on the contrary, will be very noticeable.
When preparing for the trip, do not forget about getting to know the traditions so that participation in the holiday leaves as many pleasant impressions as possible.
