Symbols and Celebrations: Lunar New Year in Taiwan

Ask a Taiwanese friend or colleague what they do during Lunar New Year, and there is a good chance they will respond with a shrug and say "nothing much." Generally, the holiday is a time when the younger generations flock back to the nest for family get-togethers. Physical exertion is usually not high on the list of activities. Instead, reclining on the sofa in front of the TV, eating until bursting point and enjoying a few hands of mahjong are preferred.

To prepare for the festivities, families will purchase spring couplets, a pair of metrical　lines of verse usually printed on red paper and placed on the doors of homes. The characters on these slips of paper express happiness and hope for the upcoming year. The most important items on the shopping list are the food items –– usually enough to feed a small army. Boiled dumplings are popular as they resemble gold ingots and, thus, represent prosperity. Similarly, niangao –– a glutinous New Year cake –– is associated with progress. Food also influences the important rituals that take place during New Year. Dishes are presented to ancestors or deities who must "accept" the offering before the family is allowed to indulge.

One thing visitors to Taipei might notice during New Year is that the normally bustling city becomes a ghost town as people return to their hometowns around Taiwan. That's not to say that things go completely quiet. Fire crackers to ward off evil spirits ring through the air like gunshots, making sure everyone knows New Year is at hand.

農曆新年在台灣

問問台灣朋友或同事他們在農曆新年期間都做些什麼，他們很有可能會聳肩回說：「沒什麼。」一般來說，農曆新年假期是年輕一代成群回巢與家人團聚的時刻。這段期間通常沒有多少人會從事消耗體力的活動。大家反而都偏好躺在沙發上看電視，吃撐肚子，還有摸幾圈麻將。

為了準備慶典活動，家家戶戶都會買春聯。春聯是一對聲韻相配的詩句，通常印於紅紙上，並張貼在家門口。紙上的文字為即將到來的一年表達幸福與希望。購物清單上最重要的物品則是食物，採購的量通常足以餵飽一支小軍隊。水餃很受歡迎，因為狀似金元寶，所以象徵運勢昌隆。類似的還有年糕這種黏黏的新年糕點，象徵年年高升。食物也影響農曆新年期間的重要儀式。菜餚必須先拿來祭祀祖先或神明，在這些供品被「接受」後，家人才能享用。

來台北的遊客在新年期間可能會注意到，這座平時繁忙不已的城市在此時變得猶如鬼城，原因是大家都返回他們各自位於全台各地的家鄉。這倒不是說台北會因此變得完全平靜。用來驅邪的鞭炮像槍聲一般響徹雲霄，確保每個人都知道新的一年已經來臨。

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