When someone asks about Chinese New Years in Canada, the first thing that they may think is “Cold” and while the weather may be cold in Canada during the Chinese New Year Celebration, rest assured that the festivities can get pretty hot. Canada does have many areas that are predominantly Chinese and in the Chinese communities in Canada, the Chinese New Year Celebration is often very traditional in every sense of the word. Still, nobody wants to miss the party so when Chinese New Year’s celebrations roll around, they are generally celebrated by more than just the Chinese and the Canadians definitely know how to celebrate.
Traditionally, The Chinese New Year is a two week celebration where each day has a significant meaning, purpose and even a standard diet for the day. The traditional Chinese New Year is literally celebrated for many different reasons but among the primary reasons for celebrating are family, creating a new beginning for the new year, cleaning out the old and the worn from your life before the new year begins and … odd as it may sound to some people, giving out sums of money in order to insure prosperity during the new year. There is also time set aside to take food and gifts to relatives and loved ones who have already passed on.
The traditional colors of Chinese New Year’s Celebrations are red and gold so be prepared to see a lot of these colors as you go around. If you see small red envelopes scattered all over the place, do not think that it was a St Valentine’s day spree gone bad. The small red envelopes are what are most commonly used to pass out money to children and to those less fortunate than you are … though generally that is restricted to direct family members and not something that is to be expected for everyone.
The rest of the Country of Canada does tend to join in on the celebrations but outside of the Chinese Communities, celebrations of the new year in Canada tend to be two to three day affairs. However, the Canadians can pack a lot of fun and entertainment into such a short span of time so do not think for a moment that it will not be worth the trip. Cities all across Canada like Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto and other areas all over the country will have celebrations of varying degrees. Light festivals, dragon dances and parades will be all over the place mostly during the weekends outside of the Chinatown Areas but it should not take much to discover when and where the celebrations will be held.
Should you happen to find yourself in Canada for the Chinese New Year, you will never find yourself short of celebratory activities to participate in. Whether you are already planning a vacation to Canada or will just be there for business, Chinese New Year is one of the most exciting seasons here and around the world.
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