Atmosphere

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of the Chinese New Year in China is lively, but the atmosphere of this festival has lost its translation in Chicago.  Chinese New Year was my favorite holiday in China, and it is the most important holiday for Chinese people. When I was in China, I could feel the mirthful atmosphere of the Chinese New Year, and the festival is filled with people do a lot of things in the New Year holiday; for example, they set off fireworks, go hiking, and decorate their houses. During the Chinese New Year, I did a lot of activities, visited relatives, and ate a lot of food. However, since I immigrated to the United States, I have lost the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.

The traditional way of celebrating New Year’s customs have been lost. When I lived in China, on New Year’s Eve, my sisters and I did not go to sleep all night. Instead, we did a lot of activities. After dinner, my family and I watched the Spring Festival Eve TV Show on television. It was really brilliant, and we all laughed the whole time.  At midnight, we set off fireworks and fire crackers to welcome the New Year. Outside the house, there was a lot of deafening noise and an amazing atmosphere. Every child received “lucky money” from parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents.  My sisters and I played poker and bet money the whole night, and enjoying the time together.  In the United States, on the other hand, all the activities had gradually faded away. The Chinese New Year obviously not a holiday in the United States and everyone has to go to work. My family and I do not have any time to play, watch TV shows, and nobody sets off fireworks.

                         

            In addition, visiting relatives is a Chinese traditional custom during the New Year. While I was in China, in the morning of first day of the New Year, my family and I dressed in our best clothes to have tea in a restaurant. During the New Year, my family and I stayed at home and waited for my aunt’s or uncle’s family to visit us, and we went out to pay a New Year’s call. On the second day, my family and I left home to visit our relatives while my grandmother stayed at home.  I said “Happy New Year” to everyone, and everyone said it back to me. Some of my relatives lived in the same city, but we seldom saw each other. When I saw my cousins in New Year, I talked with them about studies, places to go, and shopping. It was a very pleasant chat. In the United States, all the relatives live near my family house, and we live on the same street. In fact, even though I have some relativity here, they are usually busy.

                                              

Finally, family meals have also disappeared. During the festival, my family bought plenty of food to eat and gifts to share. When my family and I went to visit our relative’s house, they prepared a lot of sugar and cookies for visitors.  My parents also prepared many sweet sugary snacks for visitors, and they were very delicious. On the fourth day of Chinese New Year, all my relatives came to my family house to pay a New Year call, and there was a big party. Everybody helped each other and cooked up a lovely dinner that was very healthy and delicious. I will never forget the flavor because the taste of the food is different in the United States. There are many different Chinese cultures from different places in Chicago, and the taste is really different from my hometown.

                             

Since I immigrated to the United States, I never set off fireworks, I don’t visit relatives, and the food has changed a lot. Everything has changed a lot because the atmosphere in Chicago is tranquil. During the New Year, and I feel particularly lost.  In addition, there is no real holiday for Chinese New Year in United States and most Chinese people is busy because they need to study or have a job. The only time I feel the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year is when the parade through Chinatown.