Phoenix City is as bright as a rainbow: talking about welcoming the Spring Festival

Phoenix City is as bright as a rainbow: talking about welcoming the Spring Festival (Alberta Times) On the first day of the Lunar New Year in the Year of the Dragon, I went to the Phoenix Senior Citizens Association to celebrate the Spring Festival. I met several senior friends...

(Alberta Times)

On the first day of the Lunar New Year in the Year of the Dragon, I went to the Phoenix Senior Citizens Association to celebrate the Spring Festival. I talked about the Spring Festival with several senior friends. I felt that in the American environment, there was no sign of the New Year in the streets and lanes, and there was no lively atmosphere to see off the old and welcome the new. When you come to a country, do as the Romans do. There is nothing to say. When you live in another country, you have to accept the concept of "please consider this place as your hometown" and integrate into its environment and life. However, we must also maintain the traditional customs of the nation and continue to promote activities to welcome the Spring Festival in the lunar calendar. I firmly believe that one day, all parts of the world will follow suit, just like Christmas and the Gregorian calendar year, everyone will celebrate it and the whole world will celebrate it! In the case of Phoenix, although the mainstream society does not pay much attention to it, thanks to the series of celebrations organized by Chinese and Vietnamese people, American friends have also become aware of it and know how to congratulate us: "Happy New Year!" This year we are welcoming the Year of the Dragon, and there are more activities in Phoenix than in previous years. The first was the Arizona Vietnamese community, which held a celebration of the Year of Renchen on the afternoon of January 14, 2012, at Encanto Elementary School on Osbern rd. in Phoenix. One week later, on Saturday, January 21, there were three celebrations at the same time, which was unprecedented. One group of Vietnamese people held a grand celebration of the New Year at Mesa New World Shopping Mall, and another group held the Miss Renchen Chinese New Year's Vietnamese Cheongsam Beauty Pageant at the Chandler Wild Horse Pass Casino. The Chinese, hosted by New Oriental Art School, held a grand Spring Festival Gala at the Chandler Art Center, with exciting singing and dancing. I used to live in Vietnam. According to the situation in the past, these celebrations are still in the Year of the Rabbit. They cannot be called Spring Festival celebrations, but can be called year-end celebrations because the Year of the Dragon has not yet arrived. Only the celebrations of the Senior Citizens Association are the real Spring Festival celebrations. The Chinese Zhouhe Musical Instrument Museum celebrates the Lunar New Year, which is a few days too late. There is no way, this is an American place! The real welcoming of the New Year begins at midnight on New Year's Eve. The traditional way is that every household makes a table to worship the God of Wealth, burns firecrackers to welcome the New Year, or goes to the temple to burn incense. "The sound of firecrackers clears away the old, and the peach charms are renewed in every household." That is the best explanation. In recent years, for the sake of environmental protection and safety, firecrackers have been banned and fireworks have been used instead. This year, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at 12 o'clock on New Year's Eve, fireworks are set off in several directions around to welcome the spring. In Vietnamese vocabulary, it is not called New Year's Eve, but "hand over and inherit", which means "delivering and inheriting" each other between the old and the new. When I was a child, Vietnamese Chinese customs to welcome the Spring Festival preserved the traditional Cantonese flavor. For example, on New Year's Eve, the whole family would have a reunion dinner. After the meal, the children would go to the streets and alleys with incense sticks in hand, shouting: "Selling, selling." "I'm lazy. I sell it until the New Year's Eve. I'm not lazy." Because my family is poor, my brother is more sensible than me, so he suggested to follow the example of other children and propose to distribute the God of Wealth, which is to buy a piece of red paper, cut it into dozens of small sheets, write the word "God of Wealth" with a brush, take a stack of them, and distribute them along the door in the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year. Many people opened their doors one after another to place offerings on the table, burn incense and worship to welcome the God of Wealth in the spring. We immediately stepped forward and called Aunt, Aunt, Uncle, and Uncle. , "The God of Wealth has arrived! The God of Wealth has arrived! Congratulations on getting rich!" Except for a few people who waved their hands to refuse, most of them accepted it with a smile and gave us a lucky red envelope. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, we celebrate the New Year at home, playing games with neighbors and rarely going out. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, we celebrate the New Year with roosters and worship gods, which is very grand. After the New Year begins, we go to pay New Year greetings to our relatives and friends. This is the happiest moment for children. When they meet adults on the street, they will definitely receive a profit, no more, no less, and they will also have money in their pockets. At that time, the elders always carried red envelopes with them when they went out on the street. When they met the younger ones and said, "Congratulations on getting rich, the market is going to be good," they would definitely respond with a smile, "Congratulations, a red paper, I mean it!" If not, they would be laughed at, "The New Year is not going to be good for the market," which is unlucky and disgraceful. Times have changed, and with the changing world trends, many humane customs have changed, but the traditional Spring Festival celebrations are still preserved in Vietnam. It's just a three-day holiday for government agencies and public institutions during the Spring Festival, which can be considered as a way to enjoy the holidays with the people. Chinese people living in Vietnam always feel that they are no different from China. They celebrate the Spring Festival and mingle as one, and the Chinese and Vietnamese are one family. The Chinese and Vietnamese zodiac signs are the same, with the only difference being Mao. Originally it was a rabbit, but in Vietnam it became a homophone for a cat. As for the dragon, both ethnic groups recognize it as the most auspicious, noble, mighty and magical symbol. Chinese people respect dragons, and Vietnamese people also respect dragons. The Chinese claim to be the descendants of the dragon, and Vietnamese mythology more directly says that they are the descendants of Luo Longjun and Nuoji. Luolongjun is a dragon species, and Nuoji is a fairy species. Therefore, the Vietnamese nationality is very strong and has stood unshakable next to the huge Chinese territory for thousands of years. Let’s take a look at this year’s Year of the Dragon. The Chinese and Vietnamese people who have settled in Phoenix have also not forgotten the traditional customs. Each group celebrates the Year of the Dragon solemnly. This is a good phenomenon. At least the mainstream society in the United States likes to participate in the celebrations and welcome the New Year of the Year of the Dragon together. Everyone is excited, hoping for auspicious dragons and blessings in the century, and wishes for good luck and good luck in the Year of the Dragon!