Benggo

You know, I used to think Chinese New Year traditions were just about red envelopes and dragon dances until I tried explaining them to my German friend last year. He looked utterly confused when I mentioned we clean the entire house days before the festival. "Why would you clean when you're about to have guests?" he asked. That's when I realized how these traditions form a beautiful, interconnected system - much like how environmental storytelling works in games like Herdling or Journey. Just as those games communicate through visual cues rather than explicit instructions, Chinese New Year traditions speak through actions and symbols.

Let me walk you through what I've learned from celebrating over thirty Chinese New Years. First, the preparation begins about a week before the actual day. We thoroughly clean the house, which symbolizes sweeping away any bad luck from the previous year. My grandmother always insisted we complete this by New Year's Eve, as cleaning during the first days of the new year might sweep away good fortune. Then comes decorating with red lanterns and couplets - the color red represents vitality and wards off evil spirits. I remember one year when my cousin bought modern, minimalist decorations similar to the grey palette in Herdling, and my traditionalist aunt made him replace them immediately. She said our home should feel welcoming, not like the "flipped cars and dilapidated buildings" that make the calicorn's journey so bleak.

On New Year's Eve, the reunion dinner is absolutely crucial. We typically have between 8 to 12 dishes, each with symbolic meaning. Fish represents abundance, dumplings resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots, and longevity noodles symbolize - you guessed it - long life. Last year, our family had exactly 9 dishes because nine is considered extremely lucky. After dinner, younger family members receive red envelopes containing money - usually even amounts like 20, 50, or 100 dollars. My parents used to give me 88 dollars specifically because eight sounds like "prosper" in Chinese. We stay up late playing games and chatting, which is called "shou sui" - guarding the age.

The first day of Chinese New Year involves wearing new clothes (preferably red), visiting the oldest family members, and eating vegetarian food. My personal tradition is visiting my grandparents first thing in the morning with oranges - the golden color symbolizes wealth. The second day married daughters visit their birth families, which I particularly appreciate because it means I get to see all my cousins. Over the next fifteen days, there are various celebrations culminating with the Lantern Festival. What many people don't realize is that the specific order matters - it's not random, much like how in Herdling, every environmental clue serves the central narrative of the calicorn's journey home.

Modern celebrations have evolved significantly. Many families now host virtual reunion dinners through video calls - last year, approximately 35% of urban Chinese families included overseas relatives this way. Firecrackers have been replaced with digital versions in many cities due to pollution concerns. Even red envelopes have gone digital through platforms like WeChat - in 2022, over 8 billion digital red envelopes were sent during the Spring Festival period. I've personally found that blending traditional and modern elements works best. For instance, we maintain the traditional dinner but might order some dishes from restaurants rather than cooking everything from scratch.

Some practical tips from my experience: When giving red envelopes, never give amounts containing the number four (it sounds like "death" in Chinese). Always present gifts and envelopes with both hands as a sign of respect. If you're visiting someone's home during this period, bring a small gift like fruits or sweets. And whatever you do, don't sweep or take out garbage on New Year's Day - I learned this the hard way when my grandmother scolded me for throwing away orange peels!

The beauty of these traditions lies in their layered meanings, similar to how Herdling's minimalistic approach conveys deep emotion through visual cues. Just as the game uses "flipped cars and dilapidated buildings" to create atmosphere, our traditions use specific foods, colors, and actions to build meaning. Both systems trust participants to understand through experience rather than explicit explanation. After three decades of celebrations, I've come to see Chinese New Year not as a rigid set of rules but as a living tradition that, much like the best wordless games, communicates profound truths through carefully designed experiences. The fifteen essential traditions form a complete narrative arc - from preparation through celebration to reflection - that ultimately brings us home, both literally and spiritually, much like the calicorn's journey toward salvation.