Festival hogs the global spotlight
Beijing college student Zhou Ji is counting the days before he goes back home
to his family in Southwest China's Chongqing.
But the 22-year-old finance major can't think of any particular Spring
Festival celebration he enjoys: Firecrackers are dangerous and temple fairs are
crowded.
"A big dinner? No, my mother is too tired to prepare one. Too much meat or
fish is bad for your health," he said. The family has reserved a table in a
restaurant.
"I just want to have a good rest after a year of hard work," said Zhou, who
is more excited about Christmas and Valentine's Day than the Spring Festival.
MORE JOY OVERSEAS
But the traditional Spring Festival is enjoying great popularity overseas.
Christian Perlingiere, a Brazilian studying Chinese language, culture and
tradition at Georgetown University in the United States, said last year's
Chinese New Year celebration was highly publicized and attracted hundreds of
people in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
He vividly remembers a parade with a dragon dance, a concert with traditional
instruments and delicious niangao -- New Year cakes made of sticky rice.
Large cities in the United States such as New York, San Francisco and
Washington DC also hold Spring Festival events, which are sponsored by
China-focused trade organizations or Chinese cultural groups. People enjoy the
parades and fireworks, even if they don't really understand the traditions very
deeply, said Ryan Paul, an American living in Beijing.
"There is some confusion about what the holiday means and why the date
changes every year, but overall, people are intrigued by it," said Paul.
A San Francisco-based website published a list of 2007 Chinese New Year
events, sponsored by Southwest Airlines. It includes a Chinese New Year flower
market fair, a carnival, a Chinese New Year concert to be staged by the San
Francisco Symphony and an "Imperial Dinner" in the San Francisco City Hall.
The annual Miss Chinatown USA Pageant will be held in San Francisco, where
Chinese-American women from across the US will compete for the title and an
opportunity to win scholarships and become goodwill ambassadors for the Chinese
community. The event has been held annually since 1958.
A Chinese New Year Parade, said to be the largest
celebration of its kind outside Asia, will also be held in San Francisco.
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