Hainan's Spring Festival Starts at Midnight -- Culture -- Hainan Free Trade Port

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Hainan's Spring Festival Starts at Midnight

/ 2025-01-29 22:05 / Culture

As far as Chinese people are concerned,

although the calendar year changes on January 1st, it isn't until Spring Festival that the New Year truly begins.

The exact beginning

happens at midnight on Spring Festival Eve.

At this time of change, this land begins a new chapter.

Today,

we all jointly experience

the 12 periods of Hainanese Spring Festival.

(*The system divides a day into 12 even parts each one of which is called a "shichen" and represented by a Chinese character.)

the shichen of Zi

(11:00pm to 1:00am)

At this time, late night banquets have been finished,

everything is being cleaned away.

The night is clear and bright.

The lanterns of every household twinkle like the stars in the sky.

Haikou's Qilou Historic Quater. (Photo: Discover Haikou)

Family and friends sit together,

waiting for the New Year to begin.

Tables are covered with scattered mandarins, sugar cookies, nuts, and dried fruit.

Everyone is watching the Spring Festival Gala,

and chatting about the year gone by.

(Photo: Hainan Daily, RedNote@咩咩檤长)

New Year's Eve

This is the time for the old year to go away.

Tomorrow, the new year will be born.

It's a new start.

Everyone is wishing each other a happy New Year.

The new year is coming,

Some people

take this time to prepare

a very special Vegetarian Casserole for breakfast.

Vegetarian Casserole Materials. (Photo: Xinhua)

the shichen of Chou and Yin

(1:00am to 5:00am)

The wee hours of the morning on Spring Festival,

are not a time for sleeping.

Hainanese people celebrate together.

This night is of great significance,

as it symbolizes the transition between the old year and the new,

and is a time when individuals celebrate for growing one year older.

Staying up the Night

Sleepless until the first dawn.

Watching the death of the old year,

and the birth of the new year.

Children and parents together

yawn but keep vigil until day breaks.

(Photo: CCTV News)

the shichen of Mao

(5:00am to 7:00am)

As the first threads of dawn light up the morning sky,

the night's watch comes to an end.

A new day has begun.

A new year has begun.

Wenchang Countryside. （Photo: RedNote @一叽桃）

The shichen of Chen

(7:00am to 9:00am)

On the first day of the New Year,

Hainanese people must eat a special dish:

Zhaicai Veggies.

Although the name of this casserole,

clearly indicates that it has no meat.

It is still full of a huge variety.

Each vegetable carries a different auspicious meaning:

cauliflower for good fortune, tofu for wealth;

dried tofu for a good life;

celery for hard work;

sweet vegetables for a sweet life;

and garlic shoots for honest words.

(Photo: Xinhua)

The New Year's Eve dinner the night before was sumptuous,

Zhaicai Veggies are lighter, better for the stomach.

During Spring Festival,

Hainanese people also pursue a balanced diet and a healthy life.

The shichen of Si

(9:00am to 11:00am)

Ancestors must be worshipped early in the morning of the Spring Festival.

(In some areas of Hainan, ancestors are worshipped on New Year's Eve).

Put out offerings on the altar,

come and pay respect to the ancestors.

(Photo: Discover Haikou)

Family members gather together.

The younger generation wishes the elders a happy new year.

They say auspicious words.

The elders give the younger generation red envelopes.

The red envelopes carry good wishes for the growth of the youth.

New Year's blessings

are called out: "Happy New Year"

and in the form of red envelopes.

(Photo: RedNote @阿萍)

The shichen of Wu

(11:00am to 1:00pm)

This is also a time for eating.

In addition to Zhaicai Veggies,

Hainan people must eat Niangao.

Glutinous rice Niangao. (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Niangao symbolize prosperity year after year.

Molasses Niangao are traditional.

In recent years, colorful Niangao have become popular.

Cut into pieces,

Niangao is covered in egg yolk and fried.

A bite of sweet and sticky niangao,

instantly transports you

through distant memory

to the Spring Festivals of your childhood.

Two children eating Niangao. (Photo: Hainan Daily)

On Spring Festival,

Hainanese people must eat chicken.

How many peoples' lunches

and midnight feasts feature parboiled chicken

flavored with soy sauce?

(The leftovers are eaten for the next few days)

(Photo: Hainan Daily, RedNote @一个橘子)

Eating leftovers symbolizes having enough throughout the year.

The shichen of Wei

(1:00pm to 3:00pm)

Siesta time.

Sleep!

The shichen of Shen and You

(3:00pm to 7:00pm)

With the passing of time

and the development of new customs,

many places in Hainan are open as usual during the Spring Festival.

The beaches of Sanya are packed with visitors.

(Phoyo: Hinews, Nanguo Metropolis Daily)

Go up to the mountains and down to the ocean;

shop, visit museums;

drink tea, watch movies...

Everything is colorful.

Tourists in Hainan during the holiday season. (Photos: Hainan Daily, Hinews, Nanguo Metropolis Daily)

Wenchang people love to play volleyball.

People in the village shouted "let's play!"

Neighbors all show up.

The game is well received.

The New Year atmosphere

makes the game even better than usual.

2024 Chunguang Cup (Wenchang) Village BA Chinese New Year Match. (Photo: Hinews, Nanguo Metropolis Daily)

The shichen of Xu and Hai

(7:00pm to 11:00pm)

After dinner,

go to the village stage to watch a performance.

Qiong Opera and puppet shows

are the most common "New Year's performances".

Prior to the holiday,

each village will set a time with the troupe.

This is called "binding the play".

When the agreed time comes,

the troupe will beat gongs and drums and sing.

This is the Hainanese livehouse.

Qiong Opera “Crystal Palace”.

When singing opera,

the troupe will also throw coins, banknotes, candies, and puffed rice to the audience.

Adults and children alike

will all try to catch them.

If you are lucky enough to grab them, you will receive good fortune.

(Photo: Hainan Daily)

The local environment and soil nurture the local people.

New Year customs in different parts of Hainan are also unique.

The one commonality everywhere

is that we cannot give up the New Year reunion.

We travel thousands of miles across mountains and rivers

to reunite with our loved ones.

(Photo: CCTV News)

Returning to your hometown,

you'll see

the people who held you in their arms when you were a child,

will taste the taste of childhood expectations.

As Feng Jicai said:

"Although during the Chinese New Year, we bid farewell to the old and usher in the new, and move forward towards spring, the emotion we enjoy the most is nostalgia.”

New Year customs

are the "ritual sense" of the New Year.

At this important juncture,

beliefs are accumulated and rituals passed.

In the final analysis,

it is to make people

embrace life with greater enthusiasm.

(Photo: RedNote @小野的平凡日常)

Whether we stick to our posts

or gather together outside,

we hope that we all have the courage to face life

and live a prosperous life.

We all hope that everything will be auspicious in the new year.

(Photo: Sanya Daily)

Wish you

happy Spring Festival, good luck and happiness!