Today is the 15th of 1st month of the Chinese lunar calender and that marks the finishing of this much elaborated celebration of Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Celebrating over a period of 15 days was common in older days and a lot of projects or business activities would only start moving again after this 15 days period. As the country progresses and economic activities dominate the scene, life becomes competitive and tougher, most people now celebrates only until the 3rd day and the 4th day onwards will be work and business as usual!
The Chinese New Year has a great significance for all the Chinese worldwide because it is the beginning of a brand new year, signifying the wiping out all old records and misfortunes, and everything is reset and to start fresh all over again. It always gives the anticipation of hope and better prospect ahead. For that reason, they paint and decorate the house new to usher in the new year, wear new clothings, new shoes or even spot a new hair style to kick-start the coming of a brand new year! Spring is a much anticipated and looking forward season where in China the snow starts to thaw and all flowers will go into full blossom! How splendid and magnificient it is as the earth is going through a period of bustling activities; plants sprouting out new leaves, new shoots, all kinds of flowers with bright colors brightening up the gardens, birds and bees, animals are running around, spring is in the air and the joy is apparent. Life again becomes active after going through a long cold winter which is like an incubation period where life has become dormant, boring and gloomy. All pent up and anxiously waiting Spring to come and suddenly everything breaks loose and bursts into life!
When comes the time of the spring rain, it is also the right time to sow seeds with a new hope of abundant harvest. There is a popular saying by the Chinese - " The happenings of the entire year start with the planning in the spring" . Indeed it is very true!
The 15th night of the Chinese New Year or "Chap Goh Meh" is celebrated in a grand way by the Hokkien, the migrants or descendants from the Fujian province. In northern China, lanterns are in display in a big way for the day and events are organized to solve the puzzles written on the lanterns and prizes are given away for that. But for us with our ancestry that came from the other southern provinces, we only carry the lanterns around during the mid-autumn festival and we do not know why there is such a odd difference.
The first full moon on the 15th night marks the end of the CNY celebration somehow gives me more of a melancholy instead of a celebration mood!
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