With just four days to go until Christmas Day, it’s likely that most people know what they are doing on the big day. New Year celebrations on the other hand may well still be up in the air – do you go to a party? Have friends over for dinner? Spend a relaxed night in? Whilst the question of what to do at New Year may well perplex us on an annual basis, around the world New Years are celebrated throughout the year and in a variety of ways. One thing they all have in common is that they would be a wonderful thing to experience that will bring you closer to the local people, who are always willing to help you get fully involved!
China.
Celebrated on Monday 8th February in 2016, the date of Chinese New Year is dictated by the lunar calendar. Full of myth and tradition, New Year (also known as Spring Festival) is a time for family reunions and cleansing one’s house – an act of removing the old and welcoming the new. I spent Chinese New Year 2008 in Beijing, welcoming in the year of the rat. The streets were full of people setting off fire crackers everywhere; we made our way to Tiananmen Square, stood at its centre and had a 360-degree view of fireworks going off all over the city – quite a sight! Earlier in the evening we had also dined on traditional new year’s food, including the auspicious dumplings, spring rolls and a whole chicken, with feet and head still attached! There is no better time to interact with the Chinese people than at the Spring Festival, many cities have cultural activities, especially Beijing, Hong Kong and Harbin, where you’ll find the Ice and Snow Festival.
Thailand.
Celebrated across Southeast Asia under different names, the lunar new year is Thailand is called Songkran. Whilst the date used to be determined by astrological calculation, now the date is fixed and it is celebrated from 13-15 April. Like in China, cleaning the house is a big tradition, as well as giving alms to monks and washing Buddha images with water – it is this final tradition that has given rise to the water fight. I was also lucky enough to be in Bangkok for Songkran in 2008 (well-timed trip!) and spent a couple of days running about with an elephant water pistol being soaked by and soaking fellow travellers and locals alike. This may have been on the Khao San Road, the notorious backpacker area, but the atmosphere throughout the city was so vibrant and full of fun. Wherever you end up celebrating though, be prepared for a soaking – everyone is fair game. The advantage is that this is the hot season so it’s a good way to cool down! Chiang Mai is believed to have the best Songkran celebrations.
Japan.
Japanese New Year, like China and Thailand, was once decreed by the heavens. Today it is celebrated, as in the West, on 1st January, it is however a different experience. At midnight, all of the Buddhist temples across the country ring their bells 108 times, 107 times before midnight and once after midnight. This is symbolic of the 108 sins of Buddhism. A meal known as osechi-ryori is eaten at the start of the new year; whilst it varies from region to region, it can feature dishes such as mashed sweet potato and chestnuts, boiled seaweed, fish cakes, and black soybeans. Mochi (rice cakes) are also a big new year food. Another lovely tradition is the sending of New Year’s Day postcards to friends and relatives near and far – the equivalent to our Christmas cards. The year’s first visit to the shrine/temple, Hatsumode, would be a fascinating experience – Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine and Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha would be excellent places to experience this annual tradition.
India.
India is a country of colourful festivals as it is, and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in a new year’s celebration – they vary from state to state! The best known is of them all is ‘Holi’, actually a spring festival, which falls of the last day of the Hindu month of Phalguna. This festival is best experienced in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh amongst others. Other new year festivals celebrated in different areas of the country include Ugadi, the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra, the day Lord Brahma began creations; Puthandu in Tamil Nadu; Vishu in Kerala, Navreh in Kashmir; Poila Boishakh, the Bengali New Year, the list goes on. If it is Holi you are particularly interested in experiencing, the best places are Goa (where it is called Shigmo), capital city Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan – in all these places the celebrations are taken seriously, expect coloured powder and water galore!
Asia Inspirations can organise for you to experience any of these New Year’s celebrations and many more. Just give the tailormade team a call now.