Chinese New Year

What is Chinese New Year? When is it?

    Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival is the most important festival of China. It falls on different dates each year in the Gregorian calendar, a date around February, but it is the first date of the year in lunar-solar Chinese calendar and spread over fifteen consecutive days.  

What is the myth for Chinese New Year?

    There is an old legend about Chinese New Year and it help to explain why people should set off fireworks or firecrackers and put red decorations on doors during that period of time. Back to the old days, there was a monster called "Nian", a creature that looked like a lion with rhinoceros horns. It went out of the woods and entered town to decimate crops and people's livestocks on the day of the New Year and it would even hurt people. Once, Nian came out of the forest as usual and walked to the front of a house. The family lived in that house were hanging their red bed sheet  on a rope since they supposed to clean up old stuffs to welcome the New Year. However, Nian was terrified and ran away from that house, shouted. Another family was putting the new lights on and sweeping the floor. Surprisingly, it sacred Nian again and it ran back into the woods. After that, people knew that this monster was afraid of red colors, bright lights and loud sounds. Therefore, every year Chinese paste red spring festival couplets on the gateposts or door panels, and then they explode firecrackers and let it spluttering. That way the monster will not come and hurt humans so that people can celebrate New Year peacefully.

What are the traditions for Chinese New Year?

   The Eve of Chinese New Year is usually celebrated with a family dinner. This is the time to bring family together for feasting. Some families like to go out and eat, others might prefer stay at home and cook. Round dumpling is the most essential food for Chinese New Year, because it represents togetherness and reunion, and that is what people want for the new year. Noodles is another indispensable dish since it symbolize long life. Moreover, Chinese considered regular dumplings can bring them wealth because the shape of dumpling is similar with ancient Chinese gold ingot. During the Chinese New Year, people wear new clothes and clean up their rooms in order to get rid of sins and inauspicious lucks. Traditionally, people might decorate their houses with red lanterns. Chinese try to expel evil spirits by displaying firecrackers and fireworks. Company and offices are closed so that people can stop  whatever they are working and join their families, people are expected to be relax and pleasant on the first day of the year, so that they will not have a busy and tiring following year. Many groups go to a temple to pray for their good lucks on the first or second day, that is the most crowded time of the year in temples. People visit their relatives and greet each other with sincere wishes. Children can get red pocket money if they meet some elders. This is a festival of harmony and happiness.