5 Top Destinations to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Southeast Asia
Are you planning to travel to Southeast Asia at the beginning of February? Do you have an important meeting you can’t miss? Are you simply curious to know how people celebrate Chinese New Year in the SEA countries?
If you answered ‘yes’ to at least one of these questions, then this is the article you are looking for!
Certainly, it’s an unmissable opportunity to join this amazing celebration, which is one of the most important Chinese festivals worldwide. The event is celebrated on the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar and it lasts 15 days. For Southeast Asia’s Chinese communities this is a time for getting together with family, decorating the house and celebrating with friends.
Let’s see a list of the five cities across Southeast Asia where you can best experience this amazing festival!
Singapore
Singapore boasts one of the most beautiful celebrations of South East Asia, which begins on January 16 and continues till March 8. Even if the celebrations span the whole island, you can’t miss three focal points:
Chinatown: here you can breathe the typical festive atmosphere, across the characteristic Baroque shop houses sprinkled with gold and red lanterns, from lion dances to street bazaars and acrobatic shows.
River Hongbao: held at the Floating Platform @ Marina Bay, this amazing place offers a unique experience: spectacular fireworks, giant lanterns, traditional songs and dances. You won’t miss it!
Chingay Parade: the largest street and float parade in Asia. You will see magic shows, acrobats, dancing dragons and so on. This parade (19- 20Feb) is unforgettable for both children and adults.
George Town, Malaysia
Since the Chinese community in Penang Island is very big, Chinese New Year’s celebration here is famous to be one of the most folkloristic of the region. The main attraction is the Kek Lok Si Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia, illuminated with more than 200.000 lanterns.
You will find a lot of events for the whole duration of the celebrations, like the Hokkien New Year at the waterfront or the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at Padang Polo.
Bangkok, Thailand
Here you can find the largest Chinatown of the country and Thailand’s biggest celebration of the Chinese New Year. The celebrations normally last three days, opened by the Thai princess and featured by street parades, dances and acrobatic shows.
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Also known as Tet Nguyen Dan (or simply Tet), Chinese New Year is considered one of the most important celebration of the year. During this festivity, you can see awesome flower decorations all over the city, in addition to music shows, games and activities everywhere.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Even if the Chinese community is very big, the celebrations in Kuala Lumpur are a little more reserved out on the street. We suggest you to visit the Thean Hou Temple, colorfully decorated, this is the center of massive prayer gatherings
Advices?
Do you know any interesting place we missed? Any good suggestions to share with us? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
Gong Xi Fa Cai 🙂
