Chinese New Year

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other traditions of celebrating the Lunar New Year, see Lunar New
Year. For the 1991 Chinese film, see The Spring Festival.
Chinese New Year,[2] also known as the Spring Festival (simplified
Chinese: 春节; traditional Chinese: 春節; pinyin: Chūn Jié) in modern
China, or simply the Lunar New Year, is an important Chinese festival
celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.
Celebrations traditionally run from the evening preceding the first day, to
the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first calendar month. The first
day of the New Year falls on the new moon between 21 Jan and 20
Feb.[3] In 2017, the first day of the Chinese New Year was on Saturday,
28 January, initiating the year of the Rooster.
The New Year festival is centuries old and gains significance because of
several myths and customs. Traditionally, the festival was a time to
honor deities as well as ancestors.[4] Chinese New Year is celebrated in
countries and territories with significant Chinese populations,
including Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau,
[5]
Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia,
Mauritius, Australia,[6] and the Philippines.[7][8] Chinese New Year is
considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the
lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration
of the Chinese New Year vary widely. Often, the evening preceding
Chinese New Year's Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather
for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to
thoroughly clean the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to
make way for incoming good luck. Windows and doors are decorated
with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good
fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". Other activities include
lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes. In about
one third of the Mainland population, or 500 million Northerners,
dumplings (especially those of vegetarian fillings) feature prominently in
the meals celebrating the festival.
The Muslim community in Malaysia and all over the world celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, or
also known as Hari Raya Puasa, to conclude the Ramadan holy month of fasting. Hari Raya
Aidilfitri is regarded as a merry celebration as it marks a person’s triumph and success on
discipline and self-resistance which symbolizes refinement and rebirth.

It is necessary for Muslims to fast during the month of Ramadan, where they have to
maintain their self-resistance in satisfying their basic needs and urges between sunrise till
sunset. They abstain from food and drinks, as well as from smoking and sexual relations. It
is also important that they keep their minds pure and not harbor any ill thoughts or intentions
during this holy month.

The fasting doesn’t deter the celebrants from making preparations to welcome Hari Raya
Aidilfitri. The excitement builds up way before the first day, where families start to shop for
new clothes, delicacies and goodies and furnish their home with new furniture and
decoration weeks. Brightly-colored lights, in the common hues of green, yellow and gold, can
be seen adorning the mosques and the offices of government agencies.

When the new moon is seen on the evening of the last day of Ramadan, the fasting period
comes to an end. Such sightings are made by religious officials at various hilltops throughout
the country and when the crescent moon is seen, the following day marks the first day of
Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

On the morning of Hari Raya, the men perform prayers at the mosque while children ask for
forgiveness from their parents. The little ones will also be given ‘duit raya’ or gifts of money
in small green packets. While the first three days of Hari Raya are usually reserved for
catching up with the family, many families hold open houses throughout the month where
friends and neighbors of other races are invited to share conversation, laughter and a variety
of cookies, candy and traditional delicacies.

In Malaysia, the first two days are regarded as public holidays but most will take a week off
for this celebration. Those working in the cities will return to their hometowns (balik
kampung) and reunite with their parents, relatives and old friends in the celebration of Hari
Raya Aidilfitri, leaving the cities quiet and empty during the festive season (usually there are
very good airline deals in the weeks/months before the Balik Kampung period). Although the
cities start to be populated again at the end of the week, the celebration doesn’t end there as
one month of Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations follow a month of fasting. People continue
visiting each other’s homes and throwing open houses until the festivities approaches its end
30 days later. It isn’t often that festivities last for a month long, so take the opportunity to
catch up with friends and family while indulging in the various delicacies!
Diwali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Hindu festival. For the related Jain festival, see Diwali
(Jainism).
"Dipavali" and "Deepavali" redirect here. For the related Nepalese festival, see Tihar.
For the films, see Deepavali (disambiguation).
Diwali or Deepavali (Tamil: தீபாவளி) is the Hindu festival of lights celebrated
every year in autumn in the northern hemisphere (spring in southern
hemisphere).[4][5] It is an official holiday
in Fiji, Guyana, India,[6] Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri
Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. One of the most popular festivals of
Hinduism, it spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil,
knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.[7][8][9] Its celebration includes
millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples
and other buildings in the communities and countries where it is observed. [10]The
festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five-day period, but the main
festival night of Diwali coincides with the dark night of the Hindu
Lunisolar month Kartika in Bikram Sambat calendar (the month of Aippasi in Tamil
Calendar), on the 15th of the month. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls
between mid-October and mid-November.[11]
Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate, and decorate their homes and
offices.[12] On Diwali night, people dress up in new clothes or their best outfits, light
up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in
family puja (prayers) typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of fertility and prosperity.
After puja, fireworks follow,[13]then a family feast including mithai (sweets), and an
exchange of gifts between family members and close friends. Diwali also marks a
major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated.[14]
The name of festive days as well as the rituals of Diwali vary significantly among
Hindus, based on the region of India. In many parts of India,[15] the festivities start
with Dhanteras (in northern and western part of India), followed by Naraka
Chaturdasi on second day, Diwali on the third day, Diwali Padva dedicated to wife–
husband relationship on the fourth day, and festivities end with Bhai Dooj dedicated
to sister–brother bond on the fifth day. Dhanteras usually falls eighteen days
after Dussehra.
On the same night that Hindus celebrate Diwali, Jains celebrate a festival also called
Diwali to mark the attainment of moksha by Mahavira,[16][17] Sikhs celebrate Bandi
Chhor Divas to mark the release of Guru Hargobind from a Mughal
Empire prison,[18] and Newar Buddhists, unlike the majority of Buddhists, celebrate
Diwali by worshipping Lakshmi.[19][20]
Thaipusam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thaipusam or Thaipoosam (Tamil: தைப்பூசம் , Taippūcam ?) is a festival
celebrated by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil
month of Thai (January/February). It is mainly observed in countries where there is a
significant presence of Tamil community such as India, Sri
Lanka, Malaysia,[1] Mauritius[2] Singapore,[3] South Africaand other places where
ethnic Hindu Tamils reside as a part of the local Indian diaspora population such
as Réunion, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Trinidad and
Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica and the other parts of the Caribbean.
It is a national holiday in many countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Fiji.
In Singapore, it was a national holiday once but it was removed
from Singapore holidays.
Note: In Fiji, Thaipusam is not officially declared as a national holiday, while in
certain states of Malaysia and in the nations of Sri Lanka and Mauritius it is a
government and a bank holiday.
The word Thaipusam is a combination of the name of the month, Thai, and the name
of a star, Pusam. This particular star is at its highest point during the festival. The
festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a Vel "spear" so
he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. It is commonly believed that
Thaipusam marks Murugan's birthday; Some other sources suggest that Vaikhasi
Vishakam, which falls in the Vaikhasi month (May/June), is Murugan's birthday.[4]
This festival was, according to one tradition, said to have been supposedly created
during one of the battles between the Asuras (or to be more specific Soorapadman)
and the Devas. At one point, the latter were defeated several times by the former.
The Devas were unable to resist the onslaught of the Asura forces. In despair, they
approached Shiva and entreated to give them an able leader under whose heroic
leadership they might obtain victory over the Asuras. They surrendered themselves
completely and prayed to Shiva. Shiva granted their request by creating the mighty
warrior, Skanda, out of his own power or Achintya Shakti. He at once assumed
leadership of the celestial forces, inspired them and defeated the Asura forces and to
recognise that day the people created the festival, Thaipusam.

According to Skanda Puranam, the legend of Murugan, and Thirupugal which are
divine verses on Murugan, adhere to Shaivam principles. Murugan is the
embodiment of Shiva's light and wisdom and devotees pray to him to overcome the
obstacles they face, as He is the divine vanquisher of evil. The motive of Thaipusam
festival is to pray to God to receive his grace so that bad traits are destroyed. [5]
MALAY WEDDING

The activities that take place during a Malay wedding come from the diverse cultural
traditions –indigenous, Hindu and Islamic–that have together served to shape
traditional Malay culture. The numerous activities constitute a Malay wedding may be
conveniently be divided into three groups representing three stages.

The first group of activities, all of which precede the actual wedding ceremony,
consist of (a) the investigation (merisik), (b) the engagement or approach to
formalise the arrangement (meminang), and (c) the hantaran or the sending of gifts
and part of the amount of money (wang belanja) for expenses (wang belanja) which
the boy’s family give to the girl’s side that will be incurred by the girl’s family. The
wang belanja is usually an amount of several thousand ringgit. It is different from the
dowry (mas kahwin) which is also paid by the man to his future wife. The amount of
the mas kahwin is usually fixed by the Islamic Religious Council in each state, but a
potential bridegroom may give any amount above the official figure.

The second group of activities consists of the actual marriage ceremony (akad nikah)
and berinai, while the third group of activities consists of berarak or arriving in
procession, sitting on a decorated dias ( bersanding and the welcoming of the
married couple to the bride’s house ( sambut menantu).

Despite overall similarities in the respective ceremonies as done in various parts of

the country, there are certain regional differences. Here only the general
characteristics of the ceremonies have been highlighted.
Chap Goh Mei

Chinese kids love New Year celebrations. It is a celebration full of festive cheers,
good food, and not forgetting, the many ang paus (red packets that married folks
give to the unmarried ones) that come our way. It was even more wonderful that
Chinese New Year last a whole good fifteen days. Usually, the celebrations would
have died down considerably by the tenth day for my family; however, that is not the
end to a wonderful start of a new year.

On the fifteenth day of Chinese New Year, technically the final day of the festival, is
a day known as Chap Goh Mei. In the Hokkien dialect, Chap Goh Mei simply means
"the 15th night of Chinese New Year". Aside from being tagged as the last day, Chap
Goh Mei is also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day. On a celebratory point of
view, this night sees the gathering of family members as they sit down to a meal
together. Offerings and prayers are also held on a grand scale on this particular
night.

Just like Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Mei is celebrated with lots of fireworks and
firecrackers. This much is true for countries that allow the use of these celebratory
items. You will also see many homes gaily decorated with red lanterns and bright
lights to mark the end of an auspicious occasion. In temples, thanksgivings are held
while many people would be asking for the God of Prosperity to endow them with
success and wealth for the coming year.

In some parts of town, you will also be able to witness cultural performances, lantern
displays, lion dances and the famous Chingay (flag-balancing) procession. On a
legendary point of view, Chap Goh Mei being regarded as the Chinese Valentine's
Day, also brings forth lots of fun and gaiety. It is well-known that Chap Goh Mei is a
night of courtship and has since been the forerunner in promoting match-making. On
this night, many young ladies would make their way to the temples, dressed in their
best, with hope of finding prospective suitors.

One of the fun activities that take place on this auspicious night includes the throwing
of oranges into the sea by these young maidens. It is without a doubt, the most
popular and colorful moment in the history of Chap Goh Mei. It is believed that by
throwing tangerines into the sea, these young girls would find themselves a good
husband. For many, the act of throwing tangerines into the sea also signifies that
these women are available for marriage. It is also said that if someone else who
sees the floating tangerine in the water and picked it up, that generally means that
the single who threw it would be able to find a good spouse.