Chinese New Year (CNY) is around the corner. While most people will be heading home to celebrate the festive with family and relatives, more people are drifting away from celebrating CNY at home with family. As reported by travel and booking site Mafengwo, over 30% of Chinese are planning to get away during the annual holiday.
CNY is celebrated in different ways throughout the world. And CNY in overseas are often very different from the experience in Malaysia. Therefore if you are still deciding where to go, here are the _ cities around Asia for your consideration.
1. Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in Asia. Every year Chinatown will be decorated with hanging red lanterns while parade will march through the streets. If you are a foodie, remember to check out Yao Wa Rat street —the paradise of street food in Chinatown Bangkok area. On top of that, there are many Thai-Chinese relation attractions such as Wat Trimitr (Golden Buddha Temple), Chinatown Gate Chinese temple. You will certainly get into the spirit of CNY when the whole city is in festive mood.
2. Beijing, China
In Beijing, CNY is all about the temple fair. Beijing’s temples and parks usually hosts many carnivals and sideshows. These week-long events consists of shopping, entertainment, religion, and culture which are open to all. Head over to Ditan Park to catch a sea of colourful fans and red lanterns hang all over the park for the temple fair. The highlight of the fair is the modernisation of an imperial ceremony from the Qing Dynasty in which an “emperor” leads a group of performers to the Temple of the Earth to worship the gods. Also, feast on the delicious food from various food stalls selling specialties from Beijing, Sichuan, Tianjin, Xinjiang, and beyond.
3. Shanghai, China
Your CNY trip to Shanghai wouldn’t be complete without visiting Longhua Temple – which was first built in 242 AD and is the biggest, most complete ancient temple complex in the city. Every year during CNY, people gather at the temple to witness the traditional bell-striking ceremony on the eve of Spring Festival. The bell will ring for 108 times as a sign of good luck and wealth for the New Year. On top of that, Yu Yuan Bazaar is also a must go, to witness the beauty lantern parade on the 15th day of CNY.
4. Penang, Malaysia
Renowned for street food with its name listed by CNN among top street food heaven in Asia, Penang has always been a wonderful place to celebrate CNY. On the 15th day of CNY, single women throwing mandarin oranges inscribed with names and telephone in hopes of finding a good husband.
5. Singapore
There are many festivities take place in Chinatown where lights and Chinese lanterns brighten the streets. In particularly, the Street Light-Up that feature 5,500 lanterns — the largest number of lanterns ever made in Chinatown Festival history — handcrafted by 40 master craftsmen using 13,000 LED light bulbs and 8km of LED light strips. From now til January 27, visitors can head to the Festive Street Bazaar and Festive Carnival to buy CNY-themed delicacies, traditional goodies, decorative items and more from 440 stalls. Other activities include the Nightly Stage Shows with performances by local and overseas performers and a complimentary Chinatown Chinese New Year Walking Trail led by seasoned volunteer guides.
6. Taipei, Taiwan
As a city known to have some of the best street food in Asia, Taipei is a great travel destination for food lovers. While Shilin Night Market is the most well-known, Raohe Night Market is just as full with delicious food to eat and sideshow games along its 600 meter length. On top of that, the 2017 Taipei Lantern Festival will take place from February 4 to 17 and will be held in the West District of Taipei City for the first time.
Read also: 5 Tips for a Hassle-free Travel During The Festive Season
