This year's Spring Festival falls on February 7^th. This is an opportunity for families to reunite and to initiate the new generations to this important and age-old Chinese celebration. 

The most important aspect of the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year (Chunjie) is in one word: family. Since the Shang Dynasty (1766-1122 BC. J.-C), the new year begins on the first day of the first lunar month. It originated in ritual sacrifices to the gods and ancestors at the beginning of the year. This year the date falls on February 7^th and marks the beginning of the year of the Rat.

The streets of Beijing seem completely deserted on the eve of the Chunjie (Chuxi), just like Christmas in the West. The city shuts down as most stores close early and taxis become scarce. Most restaurants are also closed, the few open establishments are all reserved by locals still hungry or who did not want to cook. Everyone, locals in Beijing as well as those from out of the province, returned home. This is because Chunjie is an opportunity for the entire country to enjoy a complete week's holiday, and consequently, we can witness widespread migration.

Unfortunately, the festive mood isn't obvious as only sporadic decorations light up the city. The 23 year old Cao Peng Fei cannot help but make a comparison with his home province of Hebei (North China). He sounds regretful: "with Beijing's huge buildings, you can easily forget that it's Chinese New Year. At home, my father would make the beautiful calligraphies that are hung on both sides of the entrance for the people of our village. Also, we have many more red lanterns hanging on the sides of houses". Cao Peng Fei still decided to spend Chunjie for the first time in Beijing.

He did put some thought into this choice. He believes that "Chunjie is just an opportunity to drink every day with my friends. It's become irrelevant". The Spring Festival seems to lose its charm once you become an adult. "When I was a kid, I would receive money in red envelopes (hong bao) early in the morning from my parents and grandparents but also from others," he recalls. "Now it should be my turn to give them to children, but I don't have any," he adds.

Knowing your culture

Not so long ago, Flora Li would have said the same thing: "Spring Festival used to be the opportunity to wear some nice new clothes, to eat well and to get news from the whole family." Now 25 years old, this local from Beijing thinks:"Chunjie has always been part of my life, but it has lost its warmth". This is partly due to economic development in China. "Once you've become an adult, you don't need a special occasion to eat and dress well, we can do it every day," she assures us. 

But, an event has changed the situation for Flora Li: her one year old son. "My son is half Chinese and half English. The Chunjie is even more important now that I have a child. I want him to know his culture," she insists as she reflects on the festivities' program. This year, she will start by cleaning her three-bedroom apartment from top to bottom to welcome the new season.

She will then focus on decoration: parallel sentences calligraphy, paper cuts of symbolic animals, lanterns, silk knots, the character "fu", which means happiness, glued upside down on walls and doors. Everywhere you look, all you will see is red, to ensure even more joy for the household. Last step will be the meal, which will consist of chicken, tofu and fish, three ingredients that are homonyms in Chinese for good luck and a healthy harvest of both money and grain. An especially important dish will be the homemade ravioli (jiaozi), which will be eaten at the stroke of midnight in front of the broadcast of the festivities on the national TV channel. 

Almost silent at first, the city suddenly wakes up into a hubbub of firecrackers and fireworks, noises said to frighten the spirits. "The firecrackers symbolizes the transition to the new year. It used to be too quiet," she smiles. In fact, there used to be a 12 year ban on firecrackers in Beijing. Chunjie officially lasts two weeks, its end is marked by the Lantern Festival and the tasting of balls of sweet glutinous rice (tangtuan). During that time, Flora Li hopes to show her son, temple fairs (miaohui), lion dances and all activities related to this feast, just like millions of other Chinese families.

Text : Aurélie Palancher
Photos : Wang zhuo
February 2008