Traditions and Celebrations: Chinese New Year

What is Chinese New Year? –

Chinese New Year is a special time. It marks the start of a new year. It is the most important holiday in China. People have celebrated it for more than 2,000 years!

Chinese New Year is also called the Lunar Calendar New Year or the Spring Festival. It happens between the middle of January and the middle of February. The holiday starts on the first new moon of the first month of the lunar calendar. It lasts 15 days.

People around the world celebrate Chinese New Year. The largest gatherings are in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Many people share the same holiday traditions. Cleaning is one of them. People clean their homes to get rid of bad luck and make room for good luck. They hang lanterns. They put short poems and art on the walls. People hope these things will bring good luck in the new year.

Special Days –

There are two extra-special days during Chinese New Year. The fifth day is the Festival of Po Wu. It welcomes the god of wealth. On this day, some shop owners set off firecrackers. They hope it will bring money in the new year.

The 15th day is the Festival of Lanterns. People hang all kinds of paper lanterns. They may write riddles on them. It is a colorful way to end the holiday.

Animal of the Year –

Every year on the Chinese lunar calendar gets its own animal. The animals are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Every 12 years, the animals repeat.

The new year’s animal is on many decorations. For example, 2020 was the year of the rat. Wall hangings, lanterns, and cards had pictures of rats on them. The ox gets its turn in 2021. The tiger is the animal for 2022.

Let’s Eat –

Food is a big part of Chinese New Year. Some people believe certain foods can make wishes come true.
They say eating sweets will bring good things. Eating dumplings may bring money. If someone wants a baby, they are told to eat fruits with lots of seeds. What if you want more of everything? Some people say to eat fish.

Dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve is a feast. It often has eight parts. Many people eat at home. Others go to a restaurant. For most families, the dinner is a reunion.

Rice dishes are very common. Eight Treasures Rice is rice with nuts, red beans, and dried fruit. Tang Yuan is a dessert soup with rice balls. Song Gao is a round sweet cake made from ground rice. Steamed fish is a New Year favorite for many people.

The big meal is only the start of the fun. Everyone tries to stay up all night on New Year’s Eve. They talk, laugh, and eat more food.

People put red candles in all corners of the house. Many people also light fireworks. They believe the fireworks scare away evil spirits.