China Childhood Memories #31-Chinese New Year

This is Mae Ling, my Chinese doll. She speaks a few words of Chinese and then says the word in English. As Chinese New Year is February 14th, I decided to tell you about my time in China during that time.

It was a time of great celebration in China. They had feasts,parades, and firecrackers. I can remember the noises of the firecrackers going off and being very disconcerted as a child. We were in our compound and the noise was very loud and seemed to go on for a long long time.

The celebrations went on for several days. Before the celebrations, they cleaned their houses to sweep away ill fortune. This was a time for family celebrations, honoring the elder members of the households, and holding feasts of pig, duck, chicken, fish, and sweet delicacies. They made paper lanterns and long paper dragons and paraded in the streets. They ended with firecrackers, which were thought to scare away the evil spirits. These firecrackers were made with gun powder rolled in red papers. They were then strewn together by the hundreds and were known for their deafening explosions. (Now, as an adult, I can see why the loud noises were frightening to me as a child.) In the morning, the children wished their parents a happy and prosperous new year, and the parents gave their children money in small red envelopes.

Many of these traditions still go on today, although in some areas the firecrackers have been banned because of the danger of fire.

I am thankful that my trust in the true God, Jesus Christ, and that I do not have to light off firecrackers to scare away the evil spirits.