Want to know how the Chinese incorporate kung fu into their new years celebrations? Read on…
Whenever you talk about the Chinese culture the thought of martial arts is sure to come to mind. The fact that martial arts have been a prominent part of Chinese history has been brought to light by the mass media in the form of documentaries, television series and movies.
Thus the western world has become particularly fascinated with this aspect of the Chinese culture. The particular form of martial arts that the Chinese were known to be lethal in is kung fu. It is still a widely practiced art form in the country and the Chinese New Year is one of the times when you can get to see plenty of kung fu action as part of the coming year’s celebration.
Keeping the kung fu traditions alive
The Chinese follow the lunar calendar. Hence their New Year falls on a date that is different from the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese New Year is the most important event of the year that is celebrated in full fervor. It is a time when the Chinese people bring back ancient traditions into their celebrations in order to keep them alive and not let them fade away with time.
Amongst the many ancient and interesting traditions that is kept alive by incorporating them into New Year’s celebrations is the art of kung fu. Although by itself kung fu is a lethal form of fighting that can create a dangerous, trained and lethal fighter, the art form is displayed solely for entertainment purposes during New Year celebrations.
Although there are a million and one traditional celebrations going on during this time of the year there is probably no activity that attracts such a large number of audience as do the kung fu displays. This is because seeing the trained professionals perform can be an awe inspiring experience.
China has centuries of expertise in the art of fighting kung fu. One can only imagine the mastery that they must have over the fighting style. During New Year’s celebrations one gets to see the real worth of those Chinese individuals that have undergone intensive training of kung fu.
What comes across as mere exciting entertainment to the audience is actually a show that has only been made possible after putting in years of hard work and preparation into learning, practicing and mastering the art form by the participants. It takes a lot of organization and coordination to perform the tricks and stunts that the kung fu artists put up during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
The kung fu performances have been foremost in attracting an international audience as well. Many people like to visit the country during the New Year in order to witness the kung fu performances in person. Those who cannot afford to travel like to enjoy them on the television. This age old tradition is something that the Chinese have worked really hard to maintain and that has benefited them in many ways.
