The Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is the most important social and economic event for billions of people worldwide. It is based on the lunar-solar Chinese calendar. It was originally commemorated to honor household and celestial spirits as well as their ancestors. This time of celebration is also used to spend time with family and friends.
It is celebrated in different countries across the globe including places like Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and many other countries that were influenced by Chinese culture.
Depending on the country, the length of the holiday may be different from one country to another. Nonetheless, this holiday is to spend time with family and friends and have fun.
Zodiacs
Twelve animals that make up the Chinese zodiac initially emerged in the Zhan Guo era (5th century B.C.). Although the actual creation date of the zodiac is unknown, it is known that they were first identified during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–9 A.D.), more than 2000 years ago. Nowadays, each year is a different animal. For instance, it’s the year of the rabbit this year. Babies born this year have the zodiac of the animal.
Red Envelopes
Red envelope (Traditional Chinese 紅包) is a cash present placed inside an elaborate red paper pocket. In China and certain other Asian nations, they are given as tokens of congratulations on special events like the Chinese New Year celebration, birthdays, and weddings. Red envelopes are given out by the elders and the children usually have to say some blessings and phrases.
Some of the earliest Chinese New Year tales serve as the basis for the tradition of gifting red envelopes. According to folklore, a monster called “Sui” tortured kids on New Year’s Eve while they slept, thus parents would ensure that kids are awake all night to keep them safe.
Family Gatherings
The traditional way of celebrating Chinese New Year is that families gather around for New Year’s Eve around a large table. Food and drink are essential aspects of the New Year celebration because it is a significant occasion for family reunions. This is referred to as Nian Ye Fan (年夜飯). Families worship their ancestors by burning incense.
Numbers
There are some superstitions about numbers in Chinese culture. 4 sounds like death (死）in Chinese, so people would try to avoid that number during the holiday because some people believe that it brings you bad luck. However, the number 8 (which sounds like 發), means to have prosperity. Many people believe that it can give good luck throughout the year.
When giving red envelopes, it is best to avoid the number 4.
Fireworks and Firecrackers
According to folklore, on New Year’s Eve a monster by the name of “Nian” would emerge to devour villagers and demolish their homes. The villagers learned that scaring the monster away by igniting dry bamboo made an explosive sound. Since then, doing so for the Chinese New Year has been customary.
This tradition is still continued even until now. People believe that by using fireworks and firecrackers, evil can be scared off. They believe that this will drive evil away and have good luck for the rest of the year.
The color red
The color red is considered good luck in Chinese culture. When the new year begins, people visit family and friends and exchange gifts while dressed in new red costumes. Children will receive red paper envelopes (紅包) loaded with cash during these visits, signifying that evil luck is banished and good fortune is transferred.
Food
During the Chinese New Year celebration, there are different symbols of food, many of which are related to fortune and prosperity. Many of this food sound similar to lucky things in Chinese.
Examples:
Fish (魚): Most of the dinners have this because it sounds like surplus(餘), which is also related to 年年有餘. Meaning there would always be more than you need, symbolizing that there would be abundance in your life
Dumplings: Due to the shape of the dumpling, it symbolizes fortune. It looks like an ingot, so people believe that you would have good fortune for the rest of the year.
年糕 (a sticky rice cake): is welcomed because its pronunciation sounds like “year high” in Chinese, which denotes a higher income or position.
Cleaning and Using Red Objects to Decorate Houses
Before the Spring Festival, people deep-clean their homes as a manner of purging the previous year’s ill luck and preparing them for the coming year’s good fortune.
The festival’s primary color is red because it is seen to be an auspicious color for the Lunar New Year, signifying prosperity and vitality that wards off evil spirits and negativity. Streets are decorated with red lanterns, and doorways are covered in red couplets and other New Year’s decorations.
This long break serves to spend time with family and friends. People believe that this holiday can drive out the bad and the unluckiness during the past year and welcome more prosperity and fortune in the new year. There are many ways to celebrate it and there are many traditions that are passed down to us. Billions of people celebrate together during this time of the year. Let’s welcome the Year of the Rabbit.
happy chinese new year!
