By Lisa Ng Haw Ying, Counseling Centre, INTI International University
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival in China starts on 22nd January and is China’s most important festival. It is also the most important celebration for families and includes a week of an official public holiday in China. The history of the Chinese New Year festival can be traced back to about 3,500 years ago.
People from the north and south have different habits regarding the food they eat on this special day. In Northern China, people usually eat Jiao Zi (or dumpling) 🥟 which is shaped like a crescent moon. The shape of Jiao Zi resembles that of ancient gold and silver ingots or a crescent moon and symbolizes the hope for a year of plenty.
Moreover, we know that traditionally, Chinese families have a steamboat dinner as the Chinese New Year Eve’s reunion dinner. A steamboat symbolises a family reunion because the steamboat pot, which is normally round, represents a family “reunion” (Tuányuán) in Chinese.
The colour red is the distinguishing feature of the Spring Festival. People wear red dresses and hang out red lanterns, and red Spring scrolls on windows and doors. Red envelopes containing money are also exchanged among family members.
As the China students just came to Malaysia for the Jan 2023 semester, many did not make a trip back to China to celebrate Spring Festival with their families.
Nearly 50 international students from China who are staying behind during the Spring Festival week got together at the hostel Block E common area to celebrate this joyous occasion. Everyone was seen wearing our INTI-red T-shirt and enjoying the dumpling-making session and steamboat reunion dinner to celebrate togetherness and abundance.
What a fantastic Chinese New Year party! 🐰🧧
“We hope everyone felt warmth and joy regardless of long distances from home.” Big thanks to INTI IU for organizing and sponsoring this session.