Come Away with Me

Nagasaki Lantern Festival- Gong Hei Fatt Choi!

As family and friends ushered in the Year of the Pig on 初一, i was thronging the streets in Nagasaki City trying to soak up whatever atmosphere there is at the famed Nagasaki Lantern Festival.Due to the city's status as the only port of call in the closed door policy during the Tokugawa era, interaction with Chinese and other foreigners goes a long way back and at a point in time, there was a rather sizeable Chinese population living in this part of Japan (the other 2 places being Yokohama and Kobe, of which both are port cities as well). Although their presence are not as prominent as in the earlier days, the Chinese left behind some heritage and cultural legacy, the Lantern Festival being one such fine example. It has been a major affair in the city's calendar of events for many years now. With the passage of time though, the meaning and purpose of the celebration has diluted and the festival is viewed by many as being a 2 weeks long event aimed at attracting tourists to visit this part of Japan.

Spending my first ever Chinese New Year (as a minority) away from home and as i strolled through the lanterns-lined streets, a myriad of feelings surged through me. I count myself lucky, compared to the others scattered all over Japan, that i still get to immerse in what is a semblance of the chun jie spirit here in Nagasaki. The whole atmosphere and the decorations actually look and feel more traditional (I felt like i was in some province in China) than the River Ang Pow or Chingay back in Singapore. The lanterns when lit at night lent a pretty and romantic mood to the city. However, it is just not the same feeling when one is abroad and alone during this period as Chinese New Year is essentially a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. I remember when i was much younger, CNY didn't hold that much significance to me. Then, it was a time where new year goodies abound, you get 'rich' for a period of 2 weeks and used some of the money to 'gamble' with your cousins. These days, i really appreciate and enjoy the few days of holiday spent with family at home over good meals and catching up with good old friends over a yusheng lunch. To me, these are really all part and parcel of being a Singaporean Chinese.

While neighbouring Korea still celebrates the same new year as the Chinese, the Japanese had over the years, out of social and commercial expediency, shifted their new year's day in line with the Gregorian calendar. Though the older generation remember the days when they celebrated new year in accordance with the Lunar calendar, the younger generation only know it by the term 旧正月 which literally means 'old new year' but has little inkling of what it is all about.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity of being on the island and was able to observe how the Japanese spent their new year. My initial thoughts were that being at somewhere relatively remote and where people are generally more conservative and human relations still strong, the new year mood and celebration would perhaps be more traditional too. However, what i witnessed was rather different from what i had anticipated. Unlike our 15 days long affair, where during the whole duration, you can still pretty much experience the cny mood everywhere you go, receive ang pows and lao yusheng throughout, here the new year celebration only lasted for a grand 3 days. Of which the bulk of the time is spent watching noisy Japanese new year variety shows and lazing around the kotatsu (it's winter remember). They do visit relatives and friends too but it's way much low key compared to the ones back home. I asked many friends how do they normally celebrate new year and the general consensus is to eat, watch TV and get as much rest as possible. After the third day, life simply return to normality and the decorations were torn down almost immediately. Somehow it strikes me as being quite anti-climax given the 2 weeks long pompous preparation for the new year only to have it over in a flash.



The entrance to Nagasaki Chinatown and a picture of the altar and various offerings.
I thought it looked extremely traditional with all the roasted pigs and pig heads!
It was quite gross looking really, to think that this is the Year of the Pig and there at the altar are so many slaughtered pig heads :(


More sights of the lantern lit night and vendor selling not so Chinese 'Chinese' fare :p


Finally one of my favourite picture of the whole festival. As always, i pray for the safety and good health of my family in the new year and may everyone find happiness and contentment in all that you do.

Gong Xi Fa Cai once again! Missing all of you here but no worries cos I'll be back to celebrate the Year of the Rat next year! :)

posted by テレサ @ 1:25 PM