Chinese New Year’s Eve

Chinese New Year’s Eve is a very important day in Taiwanese culture. If you are a foreigner, you might have heard of this holiday, but have you ever celebrated it with a local? Let’s imagine we are in Taiwan on Chinese New Year’s Eve right now. You will find very few people on the street because everyone has gone home to spend time with their families. The moment you walk into a house, a pair of red couplets will greet your eyes, you will be surrounded by a lot of lively noises and gleeful laughter, and the aroma of a tasty reunion dinner will float to your nose. You will find children playing together in the living room, and adults hurriedly preparing food in the kitchen. On the tables, beautiful bite-sized boiled dumplings will be laid out like gold ingots. The fresh, tender steamed fish makes everyone’s mouth water. After dinner, sparkling lights, deafening pop sounds and smoke will cover the streets. People light firecrackers in order to get rid of bad luck. Also, children receive red envelopes after blessing adults with auspicious phrases. Everyone has delightful smiles on their faces. If you wish to experience these unique traditions, you should definitely come to Taiwan in person and celebrate this joyful holiday with us.

by Anne, Jenny, and Vincent