Do Uyghur Celebrate Chinese New Year?

Home » Holidays, uyghurs February 21, 2010 5 Comments

Last week China celebrated what is called the “Spring Festival”, the country’s largest holiday.  Whether you visit Beijing, Shanghai, Tibet, or Xinjiang you won’t be able to miss the elaborate decorations and deafening firecrackers – a great experience for first time visitors but an event that most seasoned expats avoid (read my Top 5 reason to Escape Chinese New Year to know why).

Although the holiday is acknowledged in every part of China, not everybody takes part in these celebrations.  Take, for instance, the Uyghur.  They make up almost half the population in the province of Xinjiang yet most of them don’t actively participate in Spring Festival activities.  The Chinese may include Uyghur dances or phrases in their annual variety show (this year actors proclaimed that “CCP’s…policies are yakexi” which in Uyghur means “good”) but in general…

Uyghur do not celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Just Another Winter Day…

In Xinjiang most everybody will have vacation time for the Spring Festival, including Uyghur, but this blanket statement doesn’t apply to all professions. In the hospitals for instance, most Uyghur doctors will be expected to work the holiday.  Uyghur restaurants are still open and if you forgot to buy certain groceries you can count on a Uyghur store when all other places are closed.

At a Uyghur home the day isn’t considered special.  Each of my Uyghur friends told me that they might watch the variety show just because it’s something to do, but they don’t gather as a family to eat large meals like the Han Chinese or pass money to family members in the form of hong bao.

What the Uyghur DO Celebrate

Old Uyghur men celebratingWhile the Chinese celebrate the lunar New Year (February 14th this year), all of the Muslim minority groups here in Xinjiang – including Uyghur - will celebrate a festival called Noruz – also spelled Nowruz and pronounced to sound like “new rose”.  Unlike the Chinese Spring Festival, Noruz marks the actual first day of spring and is celebrated on March 21st around the world, plus or minus a day due to time zone variation.

Uyghur, Hui, Kazakh and all other Muslim minorities don’t get a day off for this holiday, but that doesn’t stop its celebration.  Families and friends usually gather to take part in a big meal and watch traditional dances and songs on TV.

Outside the cities where farming is the primary profession, this holiday is also supposed to mark the first day for ploughing the fields.  In the south of Xinjiang the weather usually permits this but in the north the temperature is still too cold to begin.

The REAL Spring Festival

I always find it funny when Chinese call their holiday the “Spring Festival”, especially since I can see a foot of snow when I look outside my window.  I’m still wearing two pairs of long johns for goodness sake!  No person in their right mind would consider this the spring season.

Late March sounds a bit more reasonable.  My opinion doesn’t matter, however, as much as the fact that Noruz is the vernal equinox.  This, I believe, is the REAL Spring Festival.


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5 Comments

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  • Anonymous said:
    February 23rd, 2010 at 11:46 am

    "In the hospitals for instance, most Uyghur doctors will be expected to work the holiday. "

    Could you elaborate on this? Is this a rule that has to be followed or a general practice What about the Han doctors?

    I get the impression from your description that the Uyghur doctors are being discriminated because they do not celebrate the Spring Festival for culture difference reasons. I wonder if the Uyghur doctors will get time off for their own festival(s), such as Nuroz you mentioned, while the Han doctors will be expected to be on duty then?

    In a society, some hospitals, at least some part of the hospitals, must open 24/7 I suppose. I don't think this is a Chinese characteristic, correct me if I am wrong.

    [Reply]

  • Josh said:
    February 23rd, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    Great comment.

    When I spoke with the Uyghur doctor I got the impression that he and his Uyghur collegues were required by the hospital to work during Spring Festival. He told me, however, that he didn't care because he didn't celebrate the holiday. Most Han doctors were given the day off, but since there aren't enough Uyghur doctors on staff to cover the whole hospital, some still had to work.

    Uyghur doctors don't get time off for Nuroz unless they specifically ask for that time off, but again, I don't think they care. It's not a huge Muslim holiday. They get off extra time during Eid, their largest holiday.

    Hope that clears things up! The doctor I spoke to didn't sound very cynical about the whole situation so I don't think we should make it into an issue.

    [Reply]

  • Anonymous said:
    February 24th, 2010 at 11:41 am

    Josh,

    Thanks for the clarification. I have no intention to make this into a big issue. However, given the circumstances, I think it would be better to have it clarified, because there might be some people who'd like to make this kind of things into big issues (you know what I mean). Thanks again.

    [Reply]

  • News of the far west :: Danwei | Manufacturer China said:
    April 8th, 2010 at 10:45 pm

    [...] posts focused on life in general in the region. Josh asked Do Uyghurs Celebrate Chinese New Year? (2010.02.22) and covered the situation with H1N1 in Xinjiang [...]

  • atoosa said:
    January 21st, 2012 at 4:40 am

    noruz not new rose.
    it is a persian new year .

    [Reply]

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