Bengaluru: The city’s Chinese population is getting ready to celebrate the Chinese New Year on February 8 and this year, it will be the Year of Red Monkey. Many from the city have also planned a trip to Kolkata, where it is celebrated for a week with great pomp. Kimberly Hsieh (25) too is heading to Kolkata for the New Year celebrations.
The New Year is time for the family and all the members of the family, whichever part of the world they are in, congregate. The dinner on the eve of the New Year is called Reunion Dinner, and it is believed to be the most important meal of the year. The 2016 is Year 4713 in the Chinese Calendar and the first day of Red Monkey falls on February 4. It is, however, not the Chinese New Year Day, while the Chinese New Year Day of Red Monkey is on February 8. “The celebrations stretch over many days and they begin a week before the main day. The night before we welcome the New Year generally is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm,” said Hsieh.
“The biggest celebrations in the country are held in Kolkata as most of the Indian Chinese stay in that city. We perform our prayers in the morning, clean the entire house and at night have our big family dinner with close family members," said 25-year-old Caroline Loyanfung.
Another tradition that has been passed on from generations is hongbao or the red envelope. "In Chinese and other Asian societies, a red envelope, red packet or hongbao is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions, such as weddings, graduation or the birth of a baby," says Ms Hsieh. “The red colour of the envelope symbolises good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. Many children and young unmarried people get a lot of money on this day." The amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit, in accordance with Chinese beliefs. Odd-numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals.
