Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year, and it is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture and in some other East Asian countries.
The date of Chinese New Year varies every year, but it always falls between January 21 and February 20. In 2024, Chinese New Year will be on Saturday, February 10th. The festival lasts for 15 days, until the Lantern Festival on the full moon.
Chinese New Year is a time to honor deities and ancestors, to reunite with family and friends, to exchange gifts and greetings, and to enjoy various traditions and customs. Some of the most common activities include:
- Cleaning and decorating houses with red things, such as lanterns, couplets, and pictures, to symbolize sweeping away bad luck and welcoming good luck.
- Offering sacrifices to ancestors, such as food, incense, and paper money, to show respect and gratitude.
- Eating a family reunion dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve, which is considered the most important meal of the year. Different regions have different dishes, but some common ones are dumplings, fish, spring rolls, and rice cakes.
- Giving red envelopes (hongbao) containing money to children, relatives, and friends, to wish them happiness and prosperity. The amount of money varies depending on the relationship and the occasion.
- Setting off firecrackers and fireworks to scare away evil spirits and bring good fortune. Fireworks are also used to create beautiful displays in the sky.
- Watching lion dances and dragon dances, which are performed by groups of people wearing costumes and masks. The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and ward off evil, while the dragon dance represents power and dignity.
Chinese New Year is also associated with the Chinese zodiac, which assigns an animal to each year in a 12-year cycle. The animal of 2024 is the Wood Dragon, which is considered a powerful and auspicious sign. People born in the year of the Wood Dragon are said to be charismatic, ambitious, creative, and adventurous.
Chinese New Year is a rich and colorful festival that reflects the diversity and history of Chinese culture. It is a time to celebrate life, family, and community.
Links:
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/food/2014-01/23/content_17253382.htm
https://www.parents.com/celebrate-lunar-new-year-7092082
https://www.thaizer.com/chinese-new-year-in-thailand/