Some Chinese start to celebrate and prepare for Chinese New Year as early as day 8 of the 12 th month of the lunar calendar. This is a festival called Laba ( 腊八 Làbā /laa-baa/ '12th lunar month' + '8'), in the traditional sense, which marks the beginning of the Spring Festival. Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or the Chinese Spring Festival, holds the most significant position among all Chinese festivals and holidays. It lasts for the first fifteen days of the Chinese lunar calendar, which on the Western calendar begins sometime between January 21 and February 21, varying from year to year. Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is a time for families to be together. Chinese New Year's Eve is the most important time. Wherever they are, people are expected to be home to celebrate the festival with their families. The Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is called 'reunion dinner'. Big families of several generations sit around round tables and Travelling instead of staying at home to celebrate Chinese New Year has become more popular during the past few years. With the rapid development of transportation, especially high-speed railways and airways, it’s more convenient for Chinese to travel during the 7-day holiday, which provides a good opportunity for people to relax and take a People start preparing pasta dishes. In the north, they make dumplings, while in the south, they cook Tangyuan. Chinese New Year's Eve (Jan. 28, 2025): 6 Traditions and Activities - 除夕. As the last day of the lunar year, Chinese New Year's Eve (除夕 chú xī) is the day before Chinese New Year. It is a grand reunion time for the whole Chinese New Years Eve: 春节: Chūnjié: Chinese New Year; Spring Festival: 春节快乐! Chūnjié kuàilè! Happy Spring Festival! 新年快乐! Xīnnián kuàilè! Happy New Year! 大吉大利! dàjídàlì! Wishing you great prosperity! 恭喜发财: gōngxǐ fācái: May you have a prosperous new year: 鼠年大吉: shǔnián dàjí Much like the celebration of the New Year in the Western world, Chinese New Year is all about the hopeful spirit of renewal. The holiday’s traditions, symbols and rituals are all meant to wipe the slate clean and prepare for prosperity, good luck and happiness in the new year. Simply put, every Chinese New Year is a new beginning. Say “Happy New Year!” In Mandarin, they’ll say gong xi fa cai (恭喜发财), wishing you a prosperous New Year.In Cantonese, it’s gong hey fat choi.Still, if you wish someone xin nian Since the mid-1990s people in China have been given seven consecutive days off work during the Chinese New Year. This week of relaxation has been designated Spring Festival, a term that is sometimes used to refer to the Chinese New Year in general. The origins of the Chinese New Year are steeped in legend. One legend is that thousands of years Most of the traditions we see today have been passed down from the past. Read the top 15 Chinese New Year Traditional activities below: Chinese New Year traditions 1. House Cleaning. In the days leading up to Chinese New Year, Chinese families sweep the floors, wash clothes and other things, clean spiders' webs, and dredge ditches. Times Square ball drops and midnight kisses reliably usher in the New Year on the same date every year. But for billions of people around the world who celebrate the Chinese New Year, also known Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the 14th century BC, when the Shang dynasty ruled. In North Korea and South Korea they celebrate Seollal, which lasts for three days. Korean Chinese couplets for Lunar New Year (© RoBeDeRo via Canva) Seeing red? Red is a lucky and auspicious colour for Chinese New Year. Red represents good luck, passion and prosperity. Chinese legend also explains how red decoration scared away a demon from massacring a village, so the colour is also symbolic of warding off evil and negative energy. Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the 14th century BC, when the Shang dynasty ruled. In North Korea and South Korea they celebrate Seollal, which lasts for three days. Korean Lunar New Year celebrations lasts for 15 days and ends when the full moon appears. (Pexels: Henry & Co)The date varies from year to year as it follows the cycle of the moon, but the auspicious On Jan. 29, Asian American communities around the U.S. will ring in the Year of the Snake with community carnivals, family gatherings, parades, traditional food, fireworks and other festivities. This is also one of the very popular activities that Vietnamese do to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It helps to remind young generations about their ancestors, introduce new family members to the deceased, as well as pray to have a new year full of health, luck and happiness. The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year is usually celebrated between late January and February, during the first new moon. This year, it will be on Wednesday, January 2025. But if you’re in Japan, you may be wondering, “Does Japan celebrate Chinese New Year?” Here’s what you should know. Does Japan Celebrate Chinese New Year? Members of the Newham Chinese Association explain some of the traditions, festivals and customs that take place when Chinese New Year is celebrated. From folk stories and traditions to food, drink and costumes, discover facts about Chinese New Year and how it is celebrated both in China and the UK. How do people celebrate Chinese New Year? In the early Suzhou people, to commemorate Wu Zixu(famous military strategist, 559 BC - 484 BC.), they made new year cakes during the Chinese New Year. Later, they gradually became popular all over the country, such as red date rice cakes in Shandong, minced fruit rice cakes in Beijing, taro rice cakes and brown sugar or white sugar rice cakes
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