CHINESE NEW YEAR-by Cristina Barreto

Chinese New Year

Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as “Spring Festival”, is China's most important holiday, and falls on the first New Moon between January 21st and February 20th. This is because the Chinese traditional lunar calendar is different from the Western solar calendar. In the Chinese year months are lunar cycles, meaning that the first day is the new moon and day 15th day is the full moon. The celebration lasts fifteen days. The first day is called the New Year and the fifteenth day is called the Lantern Festival. In China there is a cycle of twelve years represented by twelve animals: Rat, Bull, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig

Before New Year it is important to clean the house, in order to sweep away all the bad luck of the previous year, and to accommodate the New Year's good luck. Once the house is clean, the next step is to decorate it. The typical New Year ornaments include Chinese calligraphies with the words “fortune” (福), “spring” (春), “happy new year” (新年快乐), or “best wishes and prosperity” (恭喜发财) written in red paper. In the Chinese culture, red color symbolizes happiness and joy. That’s why Chinese people like to decorate their homes in red to celebrate the New Year. It’s also typical to wear new clothes, preferably red.

New Year's Eve dinner is one of the most important parts of the Chinese New Year. The whole family gathers together, to eat and celebrate the holiday. Traditional dishes include fish, chicken, typical rice cakes called “niangao” (年糕), Chinese dumplings called “jiaozi” (饺子), and noodles. Fish is an important dish in every New Year dinner, because “fish” (鱼) sounds like “surplus” (余). There is a saying in Chinese “nian nian you yu”, meaning “every year we have fish” or “every year we have surplus”. Also noodles and dumplings are important, because in Chinese culture noodles represent longevity, and dumplings have the shape of ancient gold ingots, so they represent fortune and wealth.

Chinese people use these days to visit relatives and friends, and wish them a happy and prosperous new year. Chinese kids receive money which is given in red envelopes called “hongbao” (红包) just as Western kids receive gifts for Christmas. This money is called “yasui qian” (压岁钱), which means “money to push back from aging”. 

It is also an ancient tradition to burst firecrackers during these days, to scare away the year beast called “Nian Shou” (年兽). The louder and noisier the firecrackers are, the happier and more prosperous the year will be.

The last day is the Lantern Festival. People walk on the streets carrying a wide variety of lanterns, with the shape of various animals. On this day it is also very typical to eat sticky rice balls called “tang yuan” (汤圆).