Chinese New Year

All about Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is a holiday that celebrates the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar. It begins on the day of the first new moon of the year, and ends on the full moon 15 days later. It is considered to be one of the most important holidays for Chinese families. The holiday is celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of special foods and display of decorations- all focused on bringing good luck for the new year and celebrating the coming of Spring.

Rat Ox Tiger Hare (Rabbit) Dragon Snake Horse Sheep (Goat) Monkey Rooster Dog Pig The Chinese New Year Calendar. In Chinese astrology, each year is represented by one of twelve animals, this process is repeated every twelve years.

The legend of the Nian and the origins of the Chinese New Year Celebrations. The Chinese New Year celebrations most likely started from a story from ancient Chinese mythology. The “Nian” was a man-eating beast from the mountains that emerged every year in winter to prey on humans. According to the legend, he was driven off by loud noises and the color red. From then on, every Chinese New Year's Eve, families would hang red banners, set off fire crackers, and light their lamps the whole night through, awaiting the Chinese New Year. The custom spread far and wide and became a grand traditional celebration of the "Passing of Nian" ("Nian" in Chinese means "year").

Cleaning the house for Chinese New Year. The day before New Year, families clean their homes from top to bottom. This is said to clear out any bad luck from the previous year, and to ready the house to accept good luck for the coming year. All cleaning must be finished before New Year's Day, so there is no chance of accidentally throwing out the good fortune for the new year.

New clothes and a hair cut for Chinese New Year. Before New Year's Day you want to buy new clothes or cut your hair in order to have a fresh start. Wearing black is not allowed due to its association with death, however, wearing red is encouraged as the color is associated with scaring off bad spirits.

Red Envelopes It's a Chinese tradition to give out red envelopes (Hong Bao) filled with money on Chinese New Year. The red color is for good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The amount of money should not contain the number 4 or be an odd number because that is considered bad luck.

Decorating the house Another popular custom is to hang up signs and posters on doors and windows with the Chinese word fu written on them, which translates to luck and happiness. Decorating with flowers also symbolizes the coming of spring and a new beginning.

The Chinese have traditional foods that are eaten for the New year celebration. Spring Rolls (for wealth). Whole fish (for togetherness and abundance). Whole chicken with the head and tail left on (for completeness). Mandarin oranges (for luck). Dumplings (for wealth). Uncut noodles, (to represent a long life). Sweets (for a sweet year). Food eaten for Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year parades. Chinese people celebrate the New Year by holding parades, which can have floats, fireworks, performances, and marching bands. Parades often feature people performing "dragon" or "lion dances"-who visit homes and businesses to scare away bad luck. Home or business owners can "feed" red envelopes to the animal to promote good luck for the coming year.

The New Years Eve celebration is the biggest and most important during the 15 day holiday, but there are other special days … On the 5th day of New Year's celebration, it is believed that the gods of prosperity come down from the heavens. Businesses set off firecrackers as they believe it will bring them prosperity and good fortune. The 15th day of the New Year is known as The Festival of Lanterns and marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Special days during the Chinese New Year.