(New Year walks to the grassroots) Foreign friends "encounter" Shandong New Year customs and share "Chinese New Year taste"
China News Service, Weifang, January 29th, title: Foreign friends "encounter" Shandong New Year customs and share "Chinese New Year taste"
Author Sun Tingting
Catch up with the new year, perform dragon dances, post Spring Festival couplets, write blessings, make dumplings... During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese lunar calendar, the "foreign faces" who stayed in Weifang, Shandong for the New Year, felt the "immersive" Spring Festival experience in the "immersive" Spring Festival experience. Chinese New Year Taste".
In Xiangzhou Town, Zhucheng, Weifang, Woldemariam, a handsome boy from Ethiopia, is dancing the dragon head vigorously.
He held a huge dragon head and jumped briskly. Under the dance of him and other team members, this long "dragon" shook its head and tail with the sound of gongs and drums, which was very lively.
Traditional performances such as lion dance and stilt walking were interspersed with dragon dance performances, creating a strong festive atmosphere for the scene.
Woldemariam has just finished a dragon dance.
Photo provided by the Propaganda Department of Weifang Municipal Party Committee
At the end of the dragon dance performance, Woldemariam held a brush in his hand and traced the word "Fu" stroke by stroke.
"This year's Spring Festival, the most proud thing is learning to write blessings with a brush. I want to take 'Fu' home and stick it on the door to pray for the New Year." A postdoctoral fellow, currently serving as the chief technical expert in food research and development in Delis.
After coming to China, he felt that the Chinese New Year is a festival of "family reunion and joy", which is very interesting.
"It's so much fun, Chinese New Year is like a carnival!" Woldemariam told reporters that Chinese culture is very attractive, especially folk performances such as stilt walking, dragon dance, lion dance, etc., which combine acrobatic skills and are very exciting.
"New Year's goods", "Kitchen God" and "Temple Fair" and other annual custom activities have more oriental characteristics.
In addition, he has been in Zhucheng for many years, and he also has a soft spot for intangible cultural heritage such as sugar paintings, paper-cuts, and straw weaving.
Facing the exquisite and lifelike Zhucheng black pottery, and listening to the intangible cultural heritage staff introduce its craftsmanship and history, Woldemariam couldn't help sighing "So beautiful".
Jacob from Poland has lived in Weifang for 8 years and is currently teaching English in a school.
He said that before the epidemic, he would return to Poland every winter and summer vacation.
In recent years, he stayed in Weifang to celebrate the New Year, and gradually integrated into the customs of Weifang.
"China's Spring Festival, from the preparations before the festival to the celebrations on the day of the festival, all reflect strong local characteristics, especially buying new year's goods at the big market, which is the most ceremonial part of the new year. "
The festive Spring Festival couplets, the assortment of various new year goods, and the strong flavor of the new year gathered together, all of which attracted Jacob to go to the appointment on time to "catch the big fair" and experience the flavor of the Chinese New Year immersively.
He likes to shuttle around the Hanting Daji, try food, bargain, and speak Weifang dialect.
"Although I can't go back to my hometown and I miss home very much, the city of Weifang and the kind and friendly people here make me feel very warm."
"Eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year is the taste of the festival." The greatest joy of the 36-year-old "foreign daughter-in-law" Lana during the Spring Festival is to learn how to cook Chinese food, especially dumplings. , have a shape.
Talking about the customs of Chinese New Year, she has a lot of treasures, such as setting off firecrackers, cutting window grilles, pasting Spring Festival couplets, and keeping vigil on New Year's Eve.
Lana is from Ukraine. Her greatest joy during the Spring Festival is learning how to cook Chinese food.
Photo provided by the Propaganda Department of Weifang Municipal Party Committee
Lana is from Ukraine. She married a guy from Anqiu, Weifang nine years ago and settled down in Weifang.
In order to share her experience of Weifang cuisine, she registered a short video platform account.
On weekdays, she will also share some content about Chinese food in WeChat Moments, so that more foreign friends can understand China and Chinese food culture.
"It is my happiest thing to prepare a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for my family and celebrate the reunion year."
Bajia, a foreign friend from Pakistan, is a Ph.D. in plant genetics and breeding. He came to China to study six years ago and worked in Weifang after graduation.
The 32-year-old is currently obsessed with visiting the Weifang Handmade Museum and experiencing kite-making, hand-cut paper-cutting and printing New Year pictures.
"I like the city of Weifang very much. I like Weifang's friendly citizens, I like Weifang's clean environment, and I like Weifang's traditional culture even more."
Bajia from Pakistan has recently been obsessed with visiting the Weifang Handmade Museum and experiencing kite-making, hand-cut paper-cutting and printing New Year pictures.
Photo provided by the Propaganda Department of Weifang Municipal Party Committee
"I like eating shrimp dumplings, tasting Chinese tea, and enjoying the ritual feeling of celebrating the New Year in China." Bajia told reporters that in the new year, he also has his own small goals, hoping to find a girlfriend in Weifang in 2023 , settle down, and spend the Spring Festival in China every year.
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