Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia all celebrate the new year in style. In addition to the usual dragon and lion dances, family meals and handing out of red envelopes, each local area has its own unique traditions for celebrating the new year.
In Taiwan there is a tradition that the evening of the third day — Jan. 30 — is the wedding banquet for mice. According to this custom, families leave out morsels of food in their kitchens for the mice to dine on. They make sure they go to bed early, too, so as not to disturb the mice’s festivities.
In Hong Kong, and from the British influence, people mark the third day of the year at the tracks for the New Year’s horce racing, and enjoy the footie with the Lunar New Year Cup on the fourth day. Another popular custom is to visit the Lam Tsuen wishing trees in the New Territories town of Tai Po. People write their wishes onto pieces of paper before attaching them to plastic tangerines, which they then throw into the trees.
Photo: Tsai Chang-sheng, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者蔡彰盛攝
Finally, in Singapore and Malaysia, where there are large Chinese-speaking communities, there is the unique custom of exchanging mandarin oranges. When people bainian, which means to visit friends and relatives and wish them good fortune for the coming year, they will present the host with two mandarin oranges, which symbolize good luck. When they leave, the host will also give them two oranges in return. During the new year period, mandarin oranges are generally in short supply.
(Liberty Times, translated by Paul Cooper)
台灣、香港、新加坡、馬來西亞都有盛大的春節慶祝活動,除了常見的舞龍舞獅、圍爐、發壓歲錢等,也有各具當地色彩的獨特過年傳統。
在台灣,相傳初三晚上是老鼠娶親的日子,按習俗家家戶戶應在廚房灑上食物碎屑,供老鼠食用,並提早入寢,以免打擾老鼠辦喜事。
在香港,受英國文化影響,初三有賀歲賽馬,初四則有賀歲盃足球賽。此外,新春期間到新界大埔的林村許願樹拋寶牒也相當熱門,民眾在紙上寫下願望,繫在塑膠橘子上再拋到樹上。
在華人人口眾多的新加坡與馬來西亞,也有獨特的「換橘子」習俗。人人拜年都要帶兩顆象徵吉利的橘子,而主人在接待完客人後也會回贈兩顆橘子。過年期間,橘子經常供不應求。
(台北時報編譯涂宇安)
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