Sunday, October 11, 2015

Goodbye Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in China. It is the time for family reunions and celebrating our achievements in the past year. However, I lost my excitement and anticipation about the Chinese New Year when my family immigrated to the United America in 2007. We haven’t been able to celebrate this amazing time of year as extravagantly as we used to when we still lived in China. When lived in China, I would celebrated with my relatives while feeling the Chinese spirit being so proudly portrayed every where I went. However, all this had have disappeared since my family immigrated to Chicago.

The most meaningful event during Chinese New Year in China was the family dinner on New Year’s Eve. All my relatives would gather together to chat about how the past year had been, children played games, and women were busy cooking in the kitchen. Everything seemed to be very heart warming and peaceful. However, now New Year’s Eve dinner has changed dramatically because my family and my aunt’s family are the only ones that live in this country, and she lives far away from my home. I feel deserted in the reunion dinner because my relatives are not around me. There is no more laughter or excitement for the New Year’s Eve dinner. My mother will be preoccupy cooking while my dad and I watch TV and waited for a meal that seemed no different than on a normal day. In addition, my dad would usually buy my firecrackers when we were in China, but he doesn’t buy them anymore.

Firecrackers are very popular in China when Chinese New Year comes around. The Chinese believe firecrackers can cast away bad luck and omens, so during any type of Chinese holiday firecrackers are likely to be set off. This tradition remains only in China for some reason, and the Chinese in the United States do not brought this with them. Even though the Chinese commits in the United States host a parade during Chinese New Year and set off firecrackers, it no longer has any special meaning to me. I can’t see the children covering their ears and smiling at each other, nor can I feel the excitement and joy from others. In Chicago, all I see and feel is no excitement among children and adults are alike when firecrackers go off during the parade. Firecrackers are not the only thing that has lost its meaning to me, but also the Chinese New Year in the United States doesn’t provide what I enjoy doing the most during the New Year. 

During Chinese New Year, I always loved to visit Huajie, which is the flower street and one of my favorite places to visit in Guangzhou. The streets would be filled with different types of flowers including  peach blossoms, orchids, and cumquat trees. I liked to visit Huajie with my family and friends, and we would always discuss which flower was the most beautiful and which one to buy for decoration. However, there is no Huajie in Chicago, so I really miss my time strolling and checking at the beautiful place. When my friends from China send me pictures of Huajie in China, I am fill with envy and wonder if one day America would have Huajie too. 

The Chinese New Year is the most precious event and sweetest memory for me, and I feel that moving to the United States has forced me to give that up. Even though immigrants who come from China continue to celebrate the Chinese New Year ever year to show their pride and spirit, which is amazing, I have lost mine here. I feel everyone in every culture wishes to go back to their homeland to celebrate major holidays with their relatives, but they can not. As long as family is with me, I appreciate their efforts to celebrate the Chinese New Year with me every year though it’s not the same. I am hoping that one day it’s possible to celebrate Chinese New Year in my homeland.

8 comments:

  1. It was interesting to read about how you celebrate New Year. I am sorry that it has change when you move to the United States. I enjoyed reading about how you celebrate New Year with your relatives.

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    1. Thank you for reading my essay. I would like to know about how your country celebrate new year.

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  2. Yes, I also really miss Chinese New Year.
    You have a good details to describe the Chinese New Year.

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  3. Wow! Very interesting! I heard about Chinese new year, and I would like to see how you guys to celebrate. My sister-in-low married with Chinese guy, and she explained to me that this event is very important in Chine. Seems like you having a lot fun in this day. I hope that one day you will go to Chine to celebrate and enjoy with your relatives and friends.
    Thank you for sharing with us.

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    1. Thank you for reading my essay. Do you miss the new year in your country too?

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  4. Vietnam and China have the similar culture, so I totally felt the same way with you. Last year was the first time i didn't spend Lunar New Year's days with my family and i even cried a lot when my parents called me. Your essay made me feel homesick, indeed.

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    1. Every Chinese New Year come, I feel homesick too. My father had cried when he talking to his relatives from the camera.

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