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Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival is the most important traditional Chinese holiday that celebrates the beginning of the new year according to the traditional Chinese calendar.
Since this holiday falls on January 25th this year, you’re still not late to celebrate! Why it falls on this date (but not always), how to celebrate, greet and what a rat has to do with all of this?
Keep on reading! And stock up on those firecrackers!
The traditional Chinese calendar, officially known as the Agricultural Calendar and also as Former Calendar, Traditional Calendar or Lunar Calendar is a lunisolar calendar which reckons years, months and days according to astronomical phenomena. Modern – day China, of course, uses the Gregorian calendar but the traditional calendar governs holidays both in China and in overseas Chinese communities.
China – 2020/01/05
Because the calendar is also known as the Lunar Calendar, the Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year, especially outside China.
The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February and celebrations traditionally take place from the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year.
The Lantern Festival or the Spring Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival usually falling in February or early March according to the Gregorian calendar marking the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on them.
Hong Kong – 2020/01/11
Dragon and lion dances, walking on stills and solving riddles are all very common during this festive period. It is believed that the loud beats of the drum, the deafening sounds of the cymbals, the face of the dragon or lion and dancing aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits – and this is what this celebration is about!
The Spring Festival was originally a ceremonial day to pray to gods for a good planting and harvest season. But the myths are, of course, much more interesting and in time took over. They mostly revolve around scaring off demons or bad luck, and attracting good luck.
Hong Kong – 2020/01/11
According to one legend, there was a monster named Nian who would come about every New Year’s Eve. Most people would hide in their homes but one boy was brave enough to fight him off using firecrackers. The next day, people celebrated their survival by setting off even more firecrackers. And that practice became a crucial part of the Spring Festival.
Hong Kong – 2020/01/11
Nowadays, before going to sleep, it is a custom to shoot firecrackers to scare off monsters and bad luck. In the morning, firecrackers are used again to welcome the new year and good luck. Due to many injuries and injuries and fatal consequences, it is prohibited or restricted in some areas.
On Chinese New Year, it is a tradition to reconcile, to forget all the bad and to wish everyone peace and happiness.
How the Chinese celebrate this holiday is how most people everywhere celebrate most holidays. Most people will travel home in days leading up to the New Year – this period is called chunyun, and is known as the world's largest annual migration.
In some places, the taking of a family portrait is an important ceremony after the relatives are gathered. The photo is taken at the hall of the house or taken in front of the house. The most senior male head of the family sits in the center.
Taiwan (Republic of China) – 2019/12/03
On New Year's Eve, the family gathers around the festive table. Most often they will eat pork, duck, chicken and sweets and fruit. Also, they eat dumplings for every meal, every day. Well, technically they’re supposed to, but I guess there can be too much even of the good stuff, so most people will eat dumplings during the New Year’s Eve dinner.
So far, sounds mostly familiar. But wait.
Before the feast begins, the tradition is for the whole family to clean and tidy up the house together to sweep the bad luck away and make room for the good. That’s very important since showering isn’t allowed on New Year’s Day and sweeping and throwing out garbage isn’t allowed before the 5th. This is to make sure you don’t wash away the good luck!
So, everything’s clean and tidy, the entire family is here, delicious meals are served, and how is everything decorated? In red!
Red paper decorations with themes of happiness, health and well-being are put on the windows and doors. Red is a dominant colour, symbolizing happiness, virtue, truth and sincerity in China so it can be found everywhere – people even wear red to scare off bad luck (but then again, it’s costumery to wear red during New Year’s celebrations in the west too – to attract love).
In the morning, children and youth will also greet their parents and elderly and wish them a happy new year to receive cash in red paper envelopes as a gift. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals. Numbers 8 and 6 are considered lucky so those amounts are often found in the envelopes. Sometimes chocolate coins are found in the red packet.
The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings. The most commonly used are –
Xin nian kuai le, a more contemporary greeting reflective of Western influences, it literally translates from the greeting "Happy new year" and is more common in the west.
Gong hey fat choi which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous".
Western horoscopes include 12 zodiac signs, one for each month. There are 12 Chinese zodiacs as well, but the animal rules the entire year. The signs are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. 2020 is the year of the rat!
New Zealand – 2019/12/04
But unlike western astrology, where the month of your sign is considered lucky, the year of your zodiac animal is the unluckiest for you, so all you rats out there – beware! During this year, your weapon of defense is the color red, mainly on clothing. Many rat – people will wear red underwear every day of the year.
In China, you have “real” age and nominal age. Real age is the one we all know about – you grow one year older on your birthday. The nominal age though, increases with the Spring Festival.
This was the age most people went with until recent times, but it’s still common nowadays or used interchangeably. So, make sure you ask!
Macau – 2020/01/05
The Qiang People's New Year Celebration Festival was listed as an Intangible World Heritage Site in Asia and Oceania in 2009 and knowing all this information and rich history behind it – we understand why!
So, Gong hey fat choi, Happy birthday, and may all of your envelopes be red!
And, if you’re a rat, then underwear too 😀
