For Canadian expat Maclean Brodie and his Chinese wife Chris Jiang, this will be their first Chinese New Year in the UAE, but they are already loving it.
“We lived in another GCC country for seven years before this and we had to make several things,” says Maclean. “We use something called hóngbāo, which is basically a red envelope signifying good luck, to give money to our children for the new year. We used to make it at home using construction paper. But, here in the UAE, we were able to find not just the envelopes but special New Year’s Eve dinner packages and decorations very readily. It made our lives so much easier.”
The Chinese New Year will be marked all around the world on Saturday, February 10. It is the biggest festival for the country and several migrant workers travel back to their homes in the suburbs in China – making it one of the largest annual human migrations in the world.
For Chris, the festival is of nostalgic relevance. “When we were living in China, it would be a week-long festivity as my mother has five siblings,” she says. “Each day, dinner would be hosted in a different sibling’s house. Since we lived in Shaghai, we mostly chose to dine out as very often houses were not big enough to host everyone. In some of the more popular restaurants, you had to book one year in advance to get a table on New Year’s eve.”
Dumplings, parade and fireworks
Monica Hu is excited to celebrate the new year because she is planning to travel back to China. “Relatives and siblings gather together from various countries around the world,” she says. “So I am excited to go back home and celebrate with my entire family.”
She gives us a glimpse into what the celebration will look like at her home. “We start our preparation weeks in advance,” she said. “We clean our house, buy new clothes and prepare to welcome the new year. We start cooking early in the morning on new year’s eve. By the evening, everyone eats dinner. Then, we all gather around the TV to watch the gala.”
The Gala, also known as Spring Festival Gala is a variety show broadcast both locally in China and overseas. It has one of the largest audiences of any entertainment show in the world, and involves performances, dances, skits and more.
“During the gala, we start chatting with each other and catch up on each other’s lives,” said Monica. “As it gets close to midnight, we start counting down to the New Year. At the stroke of midnight, we burst crackers and eat dumplings, because we believe this will bring us good luck.”
An important part of the Chinese New Year celebration is gifting money to the youngsters of the family. Chris said that it was one of the most awaited moments in her life. “Every house I used to go to as a kid, I would get the red envelope with money,” she said. “At the end of the day, I would count my total collection.”
This year, UAE-based tech company Botim has partnered up with the Chinese app Weixin (WeChat) to allow Dubai residents to send money to their families as hóngbāo gifts.
Chris added that there was a belief that the person who sets off the brightest firework will be rewarded. “We believe that the Money God will notice them and bless them with more money,” she said. “We also don’t cook on the day of the New Year because using knives and scissors on the day will bring us bad luck.”
Keeping traditions alive
For Dubai resident Wenyi, this is a time when she gets to keep the traditions alive for her sons Langdi and Langhua. “We usually make lanterns at home and put Chinese decorations on our gates,” she said. “The boys dress up in Tang suits. These are made with silk and have images of petals and lucky clouds on it. If there are images of Chinese golden coin on it, we believe the next year will bring money and luck.”
Wenyi is excited to have her mother come to Dubai to celebrate with her. “Last weekend we went to the Chinese parade at the Burj Khalifa,” she said. “It was such a great experience. Over the years, I have noticed how there is so much more to experience in the city during this special time. I love that in Dubai, we also get to learn and experience the cultures of so many different nationalities.”
Wenyi said that she was looking forward to the year of the dragon. “The dragon year is something special,” she said. “Usually dragon means good luck. It is believed that this year will mark the beginning of twenty years of richness and prosperity. I sincerely hope that is true.”