Today (February 5th) is the beginning of the Chinese New Year — it is the year of the Pig and is the 4716th Chinese Year. One sixth of the world’s population celebrate it.
Faithful readers of this blog know that this is one of the many holidays we personally celebrate every year. Chinese New Year is the most important annually recurring festival for people of Chinese ancestry all over the world. It has been celebrated for over 1,000 years and the traditions involved are deeply ingrained in Chinese culture.
Chinese New Year is a joyful time for most Chinese, but not for everyone. In China, females are said to be marriageable up to age 30 and males before age 32. For “old” singles, parents are extremely anxious. So New Year’s Eve stress is heightened by embarrassing interrogations by the parents. To solve this problem an interesting solution has appeared — renting a boyfriend or girlfriend for the New Year. There are websites and agents that specialize in this business. To rent a girlfriend/boyfriend costs about 100 yuan ($16) a day.
Certain Chinese traditions are always followed for Chinese New Year, but there are also some “don’ts.” Clocks should not be given as presents, because they symbolize that time is running out; avoid the use of sharp objects, as they might cut off good fortune and don’t wear black or tell ghost stories — that might bring about negative energy. The Year of the Pig is a year of fortune and luck! Happy Chinese New Year.
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