Cross-Cultural Spring Festival

　　Denise Ng was born to Chinese parents in Britain. Growing up in London her parents continued the tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year. However, it wasn't until she was an adult and went to Hong Kong that she experienced Spring Festival on Chinese soil. In this issue she talks about her impressions of this festival. 中华民俗节庆网

　　In London, I remember celebrating Chinese New Year without even knowing what I was celebrating! Apart from the sparse decorations in Chinatown, the rest of the city weren't partaking. So, it comes as no surprise that I didn't understand the full extent to what Chinese New Year meant. I thought it was rather strange to have the New Year in the middle of February! 1155815.cn

　　However, I always looked forward to this celebration, because it was a good way to make extra pocket money. For the days coming up to Chinese New Year, all I had to do was follow my parents around the city and collect red packets from various relatives and friends. It meant I could skip my part time weekend job ①for a while! But, that would be made up for, by having a huge spring clean of the entire house…which wasn't much fun.  Chinese Folklores & Festivals Website

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