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 Chinese New Year begins with a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve that gathers family from far and wide, much in the same way Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. During the two weeks of celebration that follow, the feasting continues as friends and family share good tidings for the year ahead. 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 family. People will participate in many activities to celebrate the coming new year. Chinese New Year's Eve Traditions 1. Putting Up New Year Decorations 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 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 Chinese New Year red envelopes are a traditional gift for children or elderly people during Chinese New Year. In China, the red envelope (money) is called ya sui qian (压岁钱 /yaa sway chyen/), which means 'suppressing Sui [the demon]money'. Those who receive a red envelope are wished another safe and peaceful year. 6. Visiting Relatives During Chinese New Year, people have a long list of things to do. From one week preceding the festival to the 15th day after, many Chinese New Year customs are widely observed for thousands of years. The family reunion dinner, eating dumplings, and setting off firework are the must-dos that you might know. What else interesting do the Chinese do? Chinese New Year, the grandest festival for Chinese people, is celebrated for more than half a month.According to the oldest traditions, people follow a day-by-day schedule of Chinese New Year festivities from the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, with specific things to do on certain days. 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 CCTV (China Central Television) Spring Festival Gala, shopping online, WeChat red envelopes, fireworks shows, and overseas travel make Chinese New Year more interesting and colorful. You Might Like. Top 3 Interesting Chinese New Year Legends/Stories; 10 Quick Facts about Lunar New Year; How to Celebrate Chinese New Year: Top 18 Traditions Lunar New Year may be called different names in different East Asian countries and communities, but it is celebrated on the same date (and surrounding days) with similar celebrations. China. In China, Lunar New Year is known as Chinese New Year or in Chinese 'Spring Festival' (Chunjie). The celebrations traditionally last for 16 days, beginning Some Indigenous people also celebrate Lunar New Year this time of year, including members of Mexico’s Purepecha Indigenous group. How do diaspora communities celebrate? Members of Asian American communities around the U.S. also organize parades, carnivals and festivities around the Lunar New Year featuring lion and dragon dances, fireworks Read on to learn about Chinese New Year and how to celebrate Chinese New Year with your family. Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year can be called Lunar New Year, Spring Festival, or just New Year, depending on your location. While it is mainly observed in East Asian countries, many festivities occur in places around the globe. He advises, “Take everything in! Chinese New Year is more than just a night, it actually lasts 15 days and there are so many different things to do, traditions to follow and foods to eat.” Here’s how to celebrate Chinese New Year. Don’t forget to serve lucky Chinese New Year foods during your celebration! However, "Chinese New Year" is still a commonly-used translation for people of non-Chinese backgrounds. [20] Along with the Han Chinese inside and outside of Greater China, as many as 29 of the 55 ethnic minority groups in China also celebrate Chinese New Year. Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines celebrate it as Singaporeans celebrate Lunar New Year as one of the most auspicious holidays of the year, as well. Because there is such a big Chinese community in Singapore, many of the same cultural There are many similarities in the spirit and festive feeling between the Lunar New Year and our traditional New Year. Yet, there are also more than a few differences too. While most New Year's celebrations in the Western Culture involve family, the Lunar New Year is centered around family. Do you think that Chinese New Year is just that one day? No! It actually lasts 15 days and you’re supposed to do certain things beforehand to prepare for the
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.