Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) is just around the bend. The festival is celebrated at the turn of the lunisolar Chinese calendar and this year, which is the Year of the Monkey, the auspicious date falls on Feb. 8. And, not to be biased or anything, but where better to bask in the merrymaking of this significant holiday than Southeast Asia, where it is usually celebrated for three days? From the biggest fireworks to the energetic lion dances to the amazing food, there are plenty of things to get your senses tingling. And, here, we give you some of the festival highlights you need to see, taste, touch, smell and hear at least once in your lifetime.
See
Truth be told, Hong Kong takes its fireworks displays seriously. On Jan. 1, the city’s Victoria Harbor was the setting for some of the world’s most stunning fireworks presentation, which lasted for almost eight minutes (but don’t take our word for it, watch the video here). And expect the ushering in of the Chinese New Year not to be any different. This coming February, the holiday will commence with a parade across town on the first day, followed by the famous giant fireworks display with choreographed pyrotechnics over at Victoria Harbor the next day. Prepare those tripods because we predict it’s going to be a good one.
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The Chinese New Year may not be a public holiday in Thailand, but don’t rule out Bangkok just yet as a destination for your long weekend. The city is home to a significant number of the Chinese population considering its geography, and its New Year celebration is just as vibrant and colorful as those in other Southeast Asian cities. An added bonus of celebrating Siam-style? The food (because, really, who doesn’t love Thai food?). Head to Yaowarat, the city’s Chinatown, which is famous among locals and tourists alike for its street-side dining fare and sample their mouthwatering Thai-Chinese offerings you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Smell
One of the major activities for Chinese communities all over the world is praying for good luck, wealth, health and happiness for the year ahead either at home or at a temple. If you are in Malaysia, light some of those incense sticks at Kuala Lumpur‘s six-tiered Thean Hou Temple, which is among the most frequented, not only because of its size and capacity, but also for its architectural beauty. And during the Lunar New Year, lanterns decorate the temple’s exterior adding to its already stunning ambiance.
Hear
Manila is home to the world’s oldest Chinatown and, during its Chinese New Year, the district of Binondo comes alive with a bevy of parades; lion and dragon dances; cultural performances mixed with the occasional drum beats; gongs, tooting horns and loud firecrackers; and endless chatter from both pedestrians and vendors. Indeed, earful is an understatement. But, for the Filipino-Chinese community, they simply wouldn’t have their CNY celebrations any other way.
Touch
There is simply is no better feeling than having luxurious textiles against your skin. So, if you ever find yourself celebrating in Singapore, invest in a cheongsam or changshan in, what else, Chinese silk. The city may be known throughout the world as an ultra-modern concrete jungle, but trust its diverse demographic (75% of which are Chinese) to keep to its age-old traditions — stepping out in traditional attire during the festival being one them.
Main image: istockphoto.com/P_Wei
Slider image: Lydia, Chinese New Year 2009 via Flickr CC BY 2.0
