The Chinese community celebrates New Year between 21st January and 19th February. An opportunity to discover a family gathering where spirit and conviviality punctuate a week of celebration.

The celebration

The date of the Chinese New Year does not always fall on a specific date and varies from 21^st January to 19^th February as it is based on the lunar calendar. The festivities last 8 days and over 2 days of preparation prior the festival. More than a milliard of Chinese and many hundreds of millions of people from the South East Asia will celebrate the spring festival.

The Chinese eve differs from one place to another in China, but the customs and rituals remain the same. There is no new year without the traditional firecrackers, one makes offerings to the "deities," pays tribute to the deceased ones and welcomes the new deities in placing their pictures in the kitchen and sticks small red papers with good omen messages all across the house.

The Chinese eve is marked by the traditional family dinner; "reunion dinner," which consists of symbolic dishes. "A whole chicken" symbolises health for everyone, the "fish, prawn and meat balls" ensure success throughout ones studies and "vegetables" brings intelligence. The Chinese eve always ends in the distribution of money in red envelopes and which bring luck throughout the year.

For one week, the spring festival will be marked by the streets parades of lions and dragons along with the drums and gongs which will regulate the movements of this mythical animal, highly respected by the Chinese. The Chinese in Réunion Island will have the opportunity to discover a panel of festivities across the island.

The Chinese community in Réunion Island

A few years before the abolition of slavery system and during the prohibition of the Indentured labourers, the farmers of the island bring along the Chinese labourers, to strengthen their workforce as they were known for their ability to cultivate the land.

In 1844, the first 54 Chinese arrived and were showered with praise. Later on, they brought another 110 labourers, split up into public works and ploughing. They lived off in camps and like their contracts stipulate, their daily meal consists of rice, salted fish or vegetables, rum or syrup and wood to cook. By the end of their contracts, the majority of the Chinese became traders or carried out a commercial activity and the Chinese immigration soon increased.

In 1862, the Chinese was allowed to settle the island as the so-called "free Chinese immigrants" and most of them work with the first ones before owing a business, thanks to the mutual aid system and exemplary solidarity which were granted to them. Others become carters, tailors, pastry chefs, grocers, hawkers, servants or gardeners.

In the early twentieth century, many of them go back to China to find a wife or take their families and move off to Réunion Island. They become managers of the famous "Chinese shops," a true cave of Ali Baba's grocery, hardware store, haberdasher's shop and pharmacy... they hold most of the small businesses and become the exclusive suppliers of Réunion Island.

They will make customer loyalty easier by introducing a system of deferred payment, recorded in "credit book."
The Chinese played an important role in the Réunionese gastronomy. They were the first and the majority of opening restaurants and the relationships which they established allowed others to taste the Chinese products and dishes offered.

After a meteoric rise, they are now at the head of the large distribution networks and the youngest ones hold the most lucrative positions, such as doctors, pharmacists or other senior officials.