Thursday, November 24, 2011

A Cursory Intro To New Years Fireworks

7:42 AM
By Steve Chung


Here are some facts about the myths which the Chinese believe in regarding Chinese New Year fireworks display during New Year.

Who could speak about noise pollution in China during the New Year festivities? The traditional use of fireworks is amongst one of the main activities during this time and it is done with a lot of enthusiasm to usher in the New Year.

The New Year festivities hold a place of importance in the life of the Chinese people. This is the time when they renew their love and bonding with the friends and family and celebrate the festival with its numerous activities. One such activity is the bursting of fireworks on the last day of the festival.

It is seen that New Year is the time when number of Chinese ancient customs are revived and celebrated with great passion. This way they keep the old customs alive. Bursting firecrackers is an essential part of the celebration. The whole country takes a lot of interest in doing this activity during their New Year celebrations as it is deeply rooted in the Chinese culture and people have followed it up for centuries.

Traditional fireworks

As usual you will come across several explanations related to the bursting of firecrackers which are part of the legends the Chinese people believe in. One of the stories is that the crackers are burst so that the dragon which is sleeping wakes up with noise that the crackers make. This dragon is the symbol of rain which is required in summer for the growing of the crops.

Everything has a direct relation to the nation's economy. China being an agricultural country requires sufficient amount of rains. They have combined this need with a festive belief of cracker bursting to make merry during the New Year and create huge noise without the apprehension of noise pollution.

Evil Spirits

There are other stories regarding the noise as well. They mean to keep themselves free from the power of evil spirits with the noise made by the firecrackers. In the beginning of the year itself they plan to free themselves from evil spirit and make the coming year lucky for them.

The Chinese New Year has a custom of parade during this time. Those who are taking part in the parade carry firecrackers with them. It is a ritual to toss the cracker at the feet of the dragon. This is done with the belief that the noise made by the cracker will keep the dragon awake.

Fireworks and dragon are interrelated as far as the Chinese New Year is concerned. It is a truly amazing spectacle to see a colorful dragon dance which is very attractive to the foreigners. The true spirit of the New Year celebration vibrates around the dragon dance and fire work blowing. The crackers keep going off as the dragon dances at the center of it.

The purpose of blowing up all these fire crackers is to keep the evil spirits away. In some cultures firecrackers are believed to drive the good spirits away because of the loud noise but when in China the traditional beliefs say otherwise.




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