My Favorite Holiday - Chinese New Year
Wow, Chinese New Year is definitely my favorite time of the whole year! It's the most fun, exciting and delicious holiday ever. I look forward to it for months and can hardly wait for the celebrations to begin.
First of all, the decorations for Chinese New Year are just beautiful. Everywhere you look there are bright red lanterns, upside-down fu symbols for good luck, cherry blossom trees, and depictions of the zodiac animal for that year. My parents always take me to Chinatown or the Asian market a few weeks before the holiday to pick out new decorations. I love scanning all the different options and picking out my favorites to hang up at home.
One of the funnest parts is getting new red outfits and accessories for the big day. In Chinese culture, red is considered a very lucky color that scares away evil spirits. So for New Year's, it's tradition to wear lots of red clothing and accessories. My grandma always gives m
e and my siblings new red shirts, pants, dresses, hair bows, you name it - all bright red! We feel like little New Year's celebration decorations walking around.
Then there's the most exciting part - the dragon dances and fireworks displays! Every Chinatown puts on a huge parade with colorful dragons weaving through the streets. The dragons are so elaborate and intricate, with drummers providing a steady beat as they slither up and down the roads. Sometimes the dragons even breathe real smoke or fireworks from their mouths! And of course at night, there are incredible fireworks shows lighting up the skies with bright bursts of red and gold. Fireworks are supposed to scare off evil spirits too, while also inviting in a year of good luck. I'll never forget the first time I saw the fireworks - my jaw just dropped at the dazzling displays.
Food is another huge part of Chinese New Year that I absolutely love. For weeks beforehand, my mom, dad, aunts and uncles all spend hours in the kitchen cooking up a gigantic feast. There are always delicious dumplings, steaming hot pots, sweet rice cakes, candied fruits, and of course, a whole crispy skin chicken that looks like a million bucks. My
brother and I aren't allowed to help with much cooking, but we do get to decorate the tables with all the auspicious fruits and candies. I especially love arranging the little oranges in a circle, which is a symbol of fullness and wealth.
On New Year's Eve, we have a huge family gathering and dinner at my grandparents' house. All my aunts, uncles and cousins come from near and far to celebrate together. After the big feast, the littlest kids go around the tables collecting small red envelopes filled with "lucky money" from the adults. I just love shaking the red envelopes and guessing how much money might be inside! The luckier numbers apparently have more cash. Whether it's 2 or 20, I always feel like a million bucks after the red envelope collection.
Another one of my favorite traditions is staying up all night long with my family on New Year's Eve. We parents up binge-watching the amazing New Year's shows on TV, playing games, and snacking on sunflower seeds and dried fruits. Around midnight, we'll hear fireworks start bursting outside and the heated air fills up with the smoke of millions of families setting off firecrackers. My grandma always tells me to make a wish on the new year as we hear those first pops of fireworks at midnight!
The next two weeks are filled with even more fun New Year's activities. We visit extended family and friends, set off our own fireworks and sparklers, eat delicious food, and collect even more lucky red envelopes. Sometimes there are fairs or festivals in the city too with carnival games, acrobats, and dragon dances. Those are always a blast.
For me though, I think the best part is just being surrounded by my whole family and sharing this amazing cultural tradition together. From the delicious feasting, to the firework shows, to simply spending quality time catching up with relatives I don't see that often, it's such a warm and joyful experience. Chinese New Year makes me feel so proud of my heritage and so grateful for my wonderful family. I can't wait until next year to celebrate again! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
春节 英语
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