Chinese
New Year or Traditional
Chinese or and Spring Festival/Lunar New Year is the most important of the traditional
Chinese holiday. The Chinese New Year period lasts for 15 days, beginning on
the first day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar.
The first
Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang changed the beginning of the year to month 10 in
221 BC. Whether the New Year was celebrated at the beginning of these months or
at the beginning of month 1 or both is unknown. In 104 BC, Emperor Wu
established month 1 as the beginning of the year where it remains.
Legend of Ancient China
for Chinese New Year:
According to
legend, in ancient China, Nian (Nyan), a man-eating beast from the mountains, could
infiltrate houses silently to prey on humans. The people later learned that
nian was sensitive to loud noises and the color red, so they scared it away
with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use the color red. So Guo Nian actually means surviving the Nian. These customs led to the first New Year
celebrations. When Nian arrived, people used firecrackers to scare him away.
Once Nian ran away,
people joined together to celebrate for another year of safe. So Chinese New
Year is considered to be a major holiday for the Chinese as well as ethnic
groups who were strongly influenced by Chinese culture. This included Japanese,
Korean, Miao (Chinese Hmong), Mongolians, Vietnamese, Tibetans, the Nepalese,
and the Bhutanese.
Chinese New
Year is also the time when the largest human migration takes place when oversees
Chinese all around the world return home on the eve of Chinese New Year to have
reunion dinners with their translations.
New Year Dates:
Many
non-Chinese people confuse their Chinese birth-year with their Gregorian
birth-year. As the Chinese New Year start in late January to mid February, the
Chinese year dates from 1 January until that day in the new Gregorian year
remain unchanged from the previous Gregorian year.
Days before the New Year:
On the day before the New Year
celebration, Chinese families provide clean to their homes. It is believed the
cleaning sweeps away bad luck and makes their homes ready for good luck to
arrive. All brooms and dust pans are put away on New Year’s Eve, so that good
luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors, and windowpanes
a new coat of red paint. Homes are decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese
auspicious Phrases and couplets that mean Happiness, Wealth, and longevity.
Reunion Dinner:
A reunion
dinner is held on New Year’s Eve where members of family, near and far, get
together for celebration. The New Year’s Eve dinners is very sumptuous and
traditionally include chicken. Fish is
included, but not eaten up completely – and the remainder is stored overnight,
as the Chinese Phrases, which means: may there be surpluses every year, sounds
the same as May there be fish every year.
First day of the New Year:
The first day
of New Year is for welcoming of god of the heavens and earth. Many people
abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed this will
ensure long and happy lives for them. Most importantly, the first day of
Chinese New Year is a time where family members, in order of their seniority,
will pay a visit to their oldest and most senior member of their family. Some
families may invite a Lion
dance troupe evict bad spirits from
the premises.
Second day of the New Year:
Incense is
burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual. The
second day of the Chinese New Year is usually for daughters-in-law to visit
their own parents. Traditionally, daughters who have been married may not have
the opportunity to visit their own families frequently.
Third day of the New Year:
The third day
of Chinese New Year is generally accepted as an inappropriate day to visit
relatives due to the following schools of thought.
1/. It’s
known as Chi
Kou, meaning that it is easy to get into arguments. It’s
suggested that the cause could be the fried food and visiting during the first
two days of New Year Celebration.
2/. Families
who have had a death in the close family in the past 3 years will not go house
visiting as a form of respect to the dead family member. As such the third day
of the New Year is allocated to visit them instead. Some people then conclude
that it is inauspicious to do house visiting at all.
Clothing:
Red clothing
is worn throughout on the Chinese New Year, as red will scare away evil spirits
and bad fortune. Also, people typically wear new clothes from head to toe to
symbolize starting anew in the New Year.
Decoration:
Red banners
with the word of happiness, written on them are hung around the house and on
the front of door. Therefore, is symbolizes the arrival of luck of happiness.