I always have enjoyed Christmas time, it is a time to relax, drink, eat and be merry! with all your family. There is no other day in the year quite like it in the west. However, in China, Chinese New year is a similar concept too. But here are some key differences.
Difference 1: Wealth vs Peace, Love and Joy
At Christmas time, ‘Merry Christmas’ or a ‘Happy Christmas.’ are common wishes expressed. People also wish you joy, peace and harmony. In China it is different. Gong xi fa cai (or in Cantonese, Gong Hei Fat Choi) in Chinese means to wish you success and wealth in your life. Chinese society is more fixated on money and wishing people wealth in the new year is very common.
Its also common for Chinese people to clear old debts and rid themselves of all things bad to start the new year afresh. Buying new clothes is also very common too. For westerners at Christmas, the focus is more on resting and relaxing to enjoy the Christmas holiday and then go to clearance sales in the shops afterwards.
2) Difference 2: A relaxing Christmas vs A Bustling Chinese New Year
Christmas is generally supposed to be a relaxing festival. However, Chinese New Year is the opposite. Inviting large groups of friends and family to your house is normal during the Chinese New Year holiday. In Chinese it is called re nao which roughly translated means to be bustling with noise and an exciting environment and atmosphere. Although Christmas can be chaotic and busy, such as when preparing Christmas dinner for the family, the gatherings are no where near as large and the evenings are commonly spent relaxing with a few drinks and some cold meat sandwiches leftover from Christmas dinner.
3) Difference 3: Comparisons in Chinese New Year and Christmas gifts
The gifts given during Christmas and Chinese New year are totally different too. At Christmas, gifts can be wide ranging, from toys, sweets, or whatever the latest technology or cool thing is, to something as boring as socks! The point is the thought that counts, not the gift, or the size of the gift (as I was told as a little child!)In China, children receive hong bao, a red envelope, which is given to them by many Chinese parents during the new year. It is just as exciting for the children to receive these red envelopes however, but the focus is again on money as mentioned in the first point.The other point is that Christmas gifts are for all the family at Christmas, even grandparents, where as in China, hong bao is only for little children up to the age of about 18, after which time, it should be they who give the next generation of children their hong bao!
I'm sure there are many other good comparisons to be made, and I would love to hear some of them! I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a wonderful new year in 2014!
