Chinese New Year, do?s and don?ts

Many questions were asked of Fernando Sales Lopes about the customs around the Chinese New Year, and about how it is celebrated in Macau, at a conference that took place last week at the Rui Cunha Foundation. The speaker has been studying Chinese traditions since the time he started living in Macau.
Observing the Chinese New Year is the biggest festive season of the year in China. The author explained that the customs exist for a reason, and that each one has its function in welcoming the New Year. For instance at the New Year?s Eve meal it?s important to eat but leave some food on the plate because it?s a sign of abundance and the left-overs symbolize that the next year will be one of great wealth.
On the first day of the year one must not throw things in the garbage or wash or sweep the house because it means that people may be throwing the luck away. Themes of symbolism in sounds and shapes, symbolism of plants, the delights of the festival, the symbolism of the animals on the Chinese Lunar New Year Calendar were mentioned in the conference.
Fernando Sales Lopes also identified red as the color of this season because it?s the color of joy, of life, of festivity and a symbol of virtue. Macau lives this season in a different way from the rest of China, because many rituals and celebrations remain in the Macanese festivities but are nowhere else to be seen in Chinese territories.
According to the speaker, that is due to historic developments when some of the historical monuments as temples were destroyed, and many cultural traditions went along with that destruction and tended to fade away. Therefore nowadays many Chinese come to Macau to learn these cultural traditions and then return with them to their hometown, so that they can live this season according to the historical rituals and festivities, stated the speaker.
Sales Lopes, ended the conference by stating that ?We have to defend Macau,? because he believes that the historical importance of Macau is being neglected, and its importance in the preservation of the Chinese popular culture must be enhanced.?

AC

Source: http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/41613-chinese-new-year,-do%E2%80%99s-and-don%E2%80%99ts.html

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