Yes, Spring Festival is truly golde
When it comes to Spring Festival, many Chinese have similar memories and
ideas: How joyous it was when we were kids, how routine and stale it has become,
and how much it is threatened by the more exotic Western holidays now making
inroads in China.
For one, I wouldn't trade anything for Spring Festival. It is by far the most
important holiday and no amount of Westernization will change that. Yes, we're
less likely to jump up and down in jubilation now that we are grownups, but we
should not be cynical about it either.
When I was a kid, lunar New Year was a big thing because we could enjoy
12-course feasts for days and were given new clothes and red envelopes by
parents and grandparents. In a time when everything was rationed, just imagine
what a thrill the occasion would be.
Nowadays, it is difficult to recreate that feeling, even for kids. We can eat
like that every day. (Well, actually, the trend is to eat less and eat healthy.)
And we can afford new clothes whenever we want, at least for the growing middle
class. But even for those at the lower strata of society, material life has
improved so much that an ordinary day today resembles this holiday a generation
ago.
So, what still makes it special? In a small measure, firecrackers.
I'm not superstitious and don't care much about driving devils away and other
such folklore. But having a panorama of fireworks when the clock strikes 12
midnight on New Year's Eve is one experience that sets my heart palpitating and
sends me into a holiday mood faster than anything else and I'm not even crazy
about sparklers.
Now, firecrackers have safety hazards. But to ban them on these grounds is
just like banning all vehicles because traffic fatalities in an entire country
amount to the number of casualties in a war. I guess firefighters have to work
overtime during this season and people still need to take precautions, but it is
a small price to pay for the atmosphere of festivity.
The centerpiece, of course, is the family reunion. Spending this time away
from home is, to say the least, miserable. That's why people take a sizable
chunk of their annual income to trek home and do things they do year after year,
such as buying gifts for loved ones, drinking with old buddies and indulging in
all-night reminiscences.
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