CHINA: It was goodbye to the Year of the Dog and hello to the Year of the Pig in China as the nation welcomed in the Lunar New Year.

Record ID: 608663

  • Title: CHINA: It was goodbye to the Year of the Dog and hello to the Year of the Pig in China as the nation welcomed in the Lunar New Year.
  • Date: 18th February 2007
  • Summary: PERFORMERS DOING LION DANCE
  • Embargoed: 5th March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAECHUTXGH3TQ2V4B9BSLIMER5L
  • Story Text: Ancient drums and a big bell mark the Chinese New Year as crowds turned out to celebrate in the capital.
    In China the Lunar New Year is about family, food, and....noise.
    Revellers crowded Beijing's ancient Bell and Drum Tower plaza for festivities welcoming the Year of the Pig on Saturday night (February 17).
    Serving as a public timepiece during the 15th century Ming Dynasty, the drums and bell now only warm up for special occasions like the new year festival.
    But the show is drawing bigger crowds by the year.
    At midnight the bell is sounded 108 times - an auspicious number in China.
    Despite the cold weather and crowds, hundreds line up for a chance to strike the bell - sure to mean good luck for the year to come.
    The idea is to conjure up as much noise as possible for the New Year - also known as Spring Festival. Fireworks and firecrackers help to do the trick.
    Last year's Spring Festival was the first time in over a decade Beijing residents were allowed to set off fireworks inside city limits.
    Since then they have used the opportunity with gusto, filling the sky in the early hours with brightly coloured explosions.
    Centuries-old Chinese tradition says that lighting fireworks during the two week festival scares off evil spirits and attracts luck.
    New Year traditions faded during the tumult of the Cultural Revolution in the 60s and 70s.
    But during the last decade of economic reforms such traditions have made an explosive comeback and today it is hard to imagine a New Year celebration without the smoke and noise.
    "Spring Festival is really important to us - just like Christmas is (to some). We like a noisy and bustling atmosphere, so we like to set off firecrackers and hang out together. It makes everyone happy," said Beijing resident Li Yaguang (pron: lee yah gwahng), strolling around the foot of the bell tower with her boyfriend.
    Spring Festival anticipates the beginning of the ploughing season and warmer weather to come. It is also a time to gather as much luck as possible for the year to come.
    "I hope that during the Year of the Pig I get really rich, and will be healthy and joyous. I also hope my parents will stay healthy, and my friends - a lot of them, all of them around the world can be peaceful and happy," said Deng Yu (pron: duhng yoo), a southern Chinese working in Beijing.
    The year of the dog was supposed to be a lucky one - Chinese say the sound of the dog's bark resembles the sound of making money.
    But this year should top that - it is considered particularly auspicious as, according to the Chinese zodiac and fortune tellers, it is a "golden pig" year that falls once every 60 years.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register