Happy Lunar New Year 2018!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Lunar New Year, aka Chinese New Year (even though other asian cultures celebrate this time too), is a huge deal here in Hong Kong. The only way I can describe how big this celebration is to Americans is that it’s like Christmas, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving all rolled into one week. It is one, if not THE, most important holiday for locals.

Lunar New Year as an Expat in Hong Kong

Our first Lunar New Year Experience:

To be honest, I don’t participate in most the activities, the crowds are insane! Our first year here we had to do a Macau run to activate my work visa during Lunar New Year and came back during the parade in Tsim Sha Tsui. We probably should have just tried to watch the parade from the corner, but we were tired from wandering around Macau all day. At first, it seemed like a well-organized event with a section roped off for onlookers and security making sure there was space on the sidewalk for people to walk by… until it’s too late. By the time we realized the separation was no longer there we were in the thick of the crowd where my body felt like it was being pushed and pulled in 4 different directions and I couldn’t breathe. So Hubby had to bulldoze a path, something everyone else was already doing, but because he was an expat it didn’t go over so well, because I was struggling to breathe and in pain hubby didn’t respond well either. So needless to say we stay out of those kinds of crowds now lol.

CNY 2018- Our First as a Family

Luckily for us we live in a small village on Lantau Island. So we get to experience the non-commercialized version of CNY, the local way. So here’s a look at what the second day of CNY looked like for us! Keep in mind it’s not always on day two. We were moving house this week as well and in our new village it was on day 3, so I think it’s more about when they can schedule the lion dancers more than on a specific day.  Usually, day 1 is about visiting the eldest members of the family. Day 2 of CNY is for visiting immediate family. Day 3 is resting with visiting those you didn’t get to. And day 15 marks the end of the celebration, the beginning of spring, the lantern festival! If you’re visiting Hong Kong, the first two days of CNY are perfect for sightseeing major spots or going to places like Ocean Park or Disneyland because all the locals are visiting family so fewer people are out. Day 3 usually means it’s back to being crowded though.

So here’s a brief glimpse of the lion dances and the traditions that occurred in our little village on South Lantau in Hong Kong! Let me know what you think in the comments!

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