The stories date back thousands of years. Read on to learn of a few popular and interesting Chinese New Year myths. The Monster and New Year’s Eve. In ancient times, there was a monster named Nián (年). It usually lived at the bottom of the sea and would come up once a year to feast on animals and humans. Chinese New Year was always fun when I was a young girl. My father's family celebrated with red envelopes and wished upon me good fortune and health. I remember music and celebrations with lanterns and lots of amazing Asian food. But I've never heard the tale of how the animals were picked for each year, until Below is a guide to some of the most well-known fables related to Chinese New Year’s Eve.---1. The Legend of Nian (年兽) The most famous fable tied to Chinese New Year’s Eve is the story of Nian, a fearsome beast that would emerge on the last night of the year to terrorize villages, devouring crops, livestock, and even people. Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the oldest traditional festival in China, but a few people concern the origin and story behind the holiday. Many existing customs and activities of the festival actually can be traced back to a popular story of the Monster Nian, which helps to explain why and how the festival is celebrated. Chinese New Year started many thousands of years ago. It is still celebrated today. It is a time for enjoying family and friends, for remembering ancestors, for feasting, and for giving gifts of "red envelopes" of lucky money. There are many ancient customs and stories that surround Chinese New Year. This is one of our favorites: Once upon a Chinese Gender Predictor Q & A Chinese Name Bone Weight Astrology Chinese New Year 2025 Lucky Number Fan Tai Sui 2025 Psychological Tests Chinese New Year 2022 Feb.1, 2022 - Jan.21, 2023 Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a major festival celebrated at the beginning of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. Thought to have originated in ancient China around 3,500 years ago, it is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, marking the end of winter and the beginning of the new year. Let's delve into the numbers, particularly the surge in “dragon babies”. In 2024, during the Year of the Dragon, China witnessed a 5.7% year-on-year increase in births, with South Korea seeing a 3% rise. These spikes are noteworthy, considering both nations are grappling with declining birth rates. This book of fables is not of course intended to give a full idea of the Chinese literature, but it shows the thinking reader a bird’s-eye view of the Chinese thought in this form of literature. Furthermore, so far as I know, this book being the first of its kind, will tell the world of the new discovery of the Chinese fables. Tourists wait to board a train at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to return home for Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in Shanghai on Jan 25, 2025. Photo by CFOTO/ Future Publishing via Getty Images. The banquet for Chinese New Year is laden with symbolic and “lucky” foods and begins almost before the table is set. This celebratory dinner also known as a Reunion dinner, is large and sumptuous and includes meat and fish as well as various vegetables and ends with sweet food to augur a luscious life in the next year. It’s easy to print these coloring sheets for the Chinese New Year: Year of the Snake. This article has 17 designs to choose from. Each of the coloring pages includes the Chinese characters for "Happy Chinese New Year" along with their pinyin (phonetic) counterparts. The legal holiday is seven days long, from the Lunar New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the first lunar month. Some companies and public institutions enjoy a longer holiday up to 10 days or more, because in common knowledge among Chinese people, the festival lasts longer, from the Lunar New Year's Eve to the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival). This fun PowerPoint has your children guessing the Chinese New Year animal based on the cryptic clues. This would be an exciting way to round up your lesson on the Chinese New Year animals story and would help to reinforce your children's knowledge of the different animals of the zodiac. KS1 Dragons in the City: Chinese New Year Lesson Ideas Water Snake knocks the door of new year. Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai! An Inspiring Short Fable Story Titled A Cat and The Flood REVIEW. You May also Like. Nov 5, 2024 - This project is for lower elementary students and explores storytelling and the Chinese Fable of the Blue Willow. The worksheet helps the student to create patterns and a radial design. I use this to help my students brainstorm or for lower elementary students simply cut the circle out and glue to a Happy Chinese New Year , and welcome the Year of the Fire Monkey ! Chinese New Year falls on Monday, February 8th this year, and I thought it would be fun to share the story behind the Chinese zodiac animals . The mythological story is about a great race, during which the order of the 12 zodiac a Sample Chinese Fable: Chinese Zodiac Worksheet Reading Comprehension Worksheets Return to Chinese New Year Theme Unit edHelper.com Subscribers: Build a printable worksheet with the complete story and puzzles Build a proofreading activity V. Koi Fish in Chinese New Year Rituals and Celebrations. During the Chinese New Year, several rituals involve koi fish, emphasizing their significance. One popular practice is the release of live koi fish into rivers or ponds, symbolizing the release of one’s troubles and welcoming new opportunities for the year ahead. Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is fast approaching on January 22nd. While it may be the Year of the Rabbit in 2023, you can explore this list to find your Chinese Zodiac according to your birth year. We've created a list of book recommendations and traits (the good and bad) for all twelve zodiac symbols.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |