Chinese welcomes New Year

Katlego Motsamai | Friday January 27, 2017 16:33

According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, this year is the year of Rooster and in Chinese culture, the rooster is an image of an early riser that work very hard and energetically. That is why the Chinese people often say that ‘golden rooster heralds the break of a day’ and ‘rising at the crow of a rooster makes a vigorous start of a day’. Therefore, the rooster also signals propitious good luck and new hope.

Speaking at the reception, Chinese Ambassador to Botswana, Zhao Yanbo said the Spring Festival that heralds Chinese Lunar New Year is the most important and most celebrated traditional festival in China. Unlike the Christian New Year, which is based on a solar calendar, the Chinese Lunar New Year is based on a traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year.

He explained that at this time, wherever they are, people return home to have family reunions, to show filial respect to their elders, to visit their relatives and to start wishing for a prosperous new year. “The Spring Festival is a time to celebrate one’s love for the family and the nation, the tradition that has lasted for thousands of years has indeed drawn a spirit bond among every Chinese in the world,” he said.

He said now with China fully integrated into a globalised world, the Spring Festival has become a global festival as a public holiday, and the celebration plays a very effective role in promoting the mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese people and other local people. “It is my sincere hope that the relations of China and Botswana would be ushered in a new stage with the support and assistance from all of our hard working friends in the Year of Rooster,” he concluded.