Hey everyone, at the beginning I would like to welcome you all to my new post and hope you have a day so far that has brought some positive experiences into your life! Today I would like to share an experience I made while travelling and am happy to share things about other cultures.
In February I was in Singapore and this timing was just perfect because the new year was being celebrated there in Asia and it was a pleasure for me to immerse myself so deeply in the culture. I have already gained some experience of how the new year is celebrated in other countries like Vietnam where it is also known under the name Tet, but celebrating the Chinese year was again a completely new experience. Of course, it's most celebrated in China, but also in Singapore, large festivities take place in this regard and pretty much every resident is celebrating and there were smaller or large festivals everywhere in various places in the country which were performed. A large part of the residents themselves have roots from China, which is why it is no wonder that the importance here is so high and traditionally the new year is also associated with zodiac signs.
Every year is associated with a different animal and this year is also considered the year of the horse and in addition the new year has an important symbolic meaning and often stands for prosperity or health and for people who are going through bad times it can often be a sign of hope. It's typical that people return home to their families and this can be observed especially frequently in China that most of those who live in the cities go back to their original places to the countryside to celebrate. It's also a lot about worshipping the ancestors and getting together with the family again and here various rituals are celebrated and it is also typical that the family meets for dinner and many things are also associated with the color red which is considered as a sign of protection and happiness.
Quite typical is also that red pockets are given away in which most money is packed and in addition happiness is to be transferred to the gifted and while I was in Singapore, I was also able to get to know other rituals. I visited various places but most of it was going on in Chinatown and already one day before the start there was already a lot on offer and there was a stage in which some traditional performances took place and from midnight it got quite loud and the people celebrated the new year but everything quickly dissolved again. The next day I went to Marina Bay for the official celebration where there was a lot going on and around midnight there was a speech by a leading politician of the country and a short time later a large firework.
It got pretty loud and the fireworks lasted for a relatively long time and there were also numerous other things to see such as figures of Chinese gods which were set up here and there was also a large figure which rained small particles of gold every hour. Also in Marina Bay the mood changed relatively quickly again after the fireworks and most went home and I went to Chinatown where also more was going on. The special thing is in Singapore during this time that numerous performances take place and so many different influences meet which is generally one of the special things of the country when it comes to the cultures. The preparations are already running a few weeks before and in total the new year lasts around two weeks so to speak and at the end of the celebrations there is also a lantern festival and Singspur is definitely one of the best places to celebrate the Chinese new year because extremely much is offered.
Many thanks for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new and like my post and appreciate my effort! I captured these pictures with my iPhone 16.