Chinese New Year By: Matisse Aras

15 days of Fun The Chinese New Year is one of the most colorful and exciting events of China. The Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days. Within these 15 lucky days they thank the gods by leaving food for them.

Lantern Festival Everyone goes home for the Chinese New Year to spend time with his or her family. The Chinese New Year is the time for some spring-cleaning. The Chinese New year starts with the new moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on a full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

Lunar Calendar The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movement. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to “catch up” with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years. This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is way, according to the solar calendar; the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

The Chinese New Year Chinese New year is the largest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and several myths and traditions. Chinese New year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and Insula, Malaysia, Mauritius, Philippines, Vietnam, and also in Chinatown and elsewhere.

Celebrating in Other Parts of the World I think the Chinese New Year celebrations in local Chinatowns are also colorful and exciting, like on the west side in New York. There are so many different Chinese celebrations that take place in other areas outside of China that I think are really cool too.