Is China really the best place to ring in the Lunar New Year – and how do other countries celebrate the Spring Festival?
Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Mongolia all have distinct Lunar New Year traditions – how do they compare, and does Japan even celebrate the festival?
I had a Malaysian friend visiting this week who said to me: “Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year is pretty boring, right?”
My civic pride kicked in and I immediately went on the offensive.
For many Hongkongers, Lunar New Year is the most important date in the entire social calendar. Whether it’s an excuse to do some spring cleaning, an opportunity to visit friends and family, or a way to justify eating hundreds of slices of turnip cake, the Lunar New Year is readily embraced by young and old alike.
Cathay Pacific has organised its annual carnival for the Spring Festival, taking place over four days at the West Kowloon Cultural District, while the annual Lunar New Year fireworks have been cancelled due to the government's security concerns about recent protests.
But are all Lunar New Years created equal?
Because the Spring Festival is celebrated by millions of people worldwide, it made us wonder: is Hong Kong really the place to be for Lunar New Year? Or is there somewhere else, somewhere more – dare we say it – fun, to ring in the Year of the Rat?
We hate to be the nosy neighbour but, what’s on everyone else’s dinner table? What’s planned for all those days starting from January 25? (And what’s up with Japan?)
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