Happy New Year! In the United States, schools give us a holiday break from just a few days before Christmas until New Year’s Day! We all know that Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China. However, that does not mean that January 1st goes without celebration. January 1st is known as 元旦节, the day of new beginnings.
Students in China are given a day off from school to celebrate with family and friends. There is no traditional way to celebrate, as each school is different. In the Chinese drama “Rush to the Dead Summer”, they are given the day off but return to school in the evening to celebrate with their fellow peers.
Here’s a quick summary of the 元旦节 event in this episode:
This class was previously an honored class but due to a cheating scandal, their flag of honor was taken away. In an attempt to redeem themselves they strived to create the best event theme among all the classes. Neighboring classes came up with music themed events, poetry themed events, and dance themed events. However, their class decided on a family themed event: 家的味道, the taste of home. Similar to a potluck, everyone had to bring in a homemade dish from their hometown. Many followed family recipes, thus creating more of a familial atmosphere. During the event, everyone had to vote for their favorite dish. The main characters Lixia, Fu Xiaosi, and Lu Zhiang all worked to prepare the two best dishes of the class: 麻婆豆腐(má pó dòu fu) and 辣子鸡(là zǐ jī), or spicy tofu and spicy chicken. Watch the video to get a better glimpse of their 元旦节 event and to see who wins!
On the other hand, our friends at Xi’an High School celebrate with a day off to spend time with family and then a schoolwide evening show later in the day. Xi’an High School’s evening show usually consists of Chinese music, dancing, and a fashion show. On this day, families also eat 元宵(yuán xiāo) together, also known as 汤圆.
元旦节 is more official as this is when government officials have time to come home and be with family for a day. 农名，or farmers, celebrate 冬至, the winter solstice, instead. In 2019, 冬至 was on December 22nd. Traditionally, families would prepare a feast together and eat 元宵, a food that symbolizes family and unity.
Overall, holidays all over the world involve family and celebrating with loved ones. I hope you all had the happiest of holidays. Let’s make 2020 a memorable year!
Wow, thanks for sharing this excellent movie! I love the competition to create the best event theme – 家的味道, the taste of home. It blends modern culture with ancient traditions, where everyone has to bring a homemade family dish and vote on it. The 麻婆豆腐(má pó dòu fu) and 辣子鸡(là zǐ jī), or spicy tofu and spicy chicken, looks very good! Very cool!
Wow, this is a really cool article. I’m really surprised that China still celebrates the non-Chinese new year. Also, I love the symbolism of the Chinese Drama! I’ll have to watch more of it when I can. I wonder how significant this culture is in China.
Great article! It’s interesting how China celebrates January 1st’s New Years as well as Chinese New Year. It’s also interesting how there is no traditional way to celebrate it in China. It’s great that families eat food symbolizing family and unity. This drama also seems very cool!
This was a very interesting and informative article. I never knew that New Years was celebrated in China. I didn’t know that January 1st is known as the day of new beginnings. I didn’t know that students are.given the day off then have to go back to school to celebrate with their peers. This was a very good article.
Great article! I had no idea this holiday existed what so ever in China. It’s funny I’m actually looking at this on Chinese New Year. I hope everyone who celebrated that holiday enjoyed it! 新年快乐！
This is a really cool article. One of my favorite holidays is new years. I like it because I get to be with my family. Also, we eat really good food. I never knew China celebrated New Years and Lunar New Years.
Awesome article! My favorite Chinese holiday is new years because of all the fun activities we have. Although I haven’t watched this drama, I think that it is awesome for the directors to incorporate such an important holiday into a drama.
Wow amazing article! I love Chinese New Year! It’s one of my favorite holidays because it’s a time for family gathering and also for res envelopes! Im glad that when families eat food together on new years it symbolizes unity. Thanks for sharing!