How do we celebrate Chinese fresh Year?

chiny24.com 1 year ago

Chinese fresh Year (新年), besides known as Spring Day (春节), is the most crucial vacation in China, as well as in another countries of the region, specified as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines. It is simply a mobile holiday, which according to the conventional Chinese lunar-solar calendar marks the beginning of a fresh year. The date changes all year, but always falls for the period from January 21 to February 20. In this year, 2024 the first day of the Chinese fresh Year came on Saturday, February 10. This year we wrote about in the erstwhile article, will pass under a peculiar Chinese zodiac sign, or Dragon sign.

Spring Day is simply a time to worship deities and ancestors, a period of 15 days of feasting and household visits.

China is simply a vast area, equal to Europe's surface area from the Atlantic to Ural. Therefore, there are any regional differences in celebrations and customs related to the Chinese fresh Year. But they share 1 and the same theme: saying good-bye to the old year and taking care of happiness and prosperity in the fresh year.

The most crucial traditions related to the Chinese fresh Year include:

Cleaning and hanging of decorations on doors of houses and apartments;
Worship and sacrifice to the ancestors;
Having a household dinner together on fresh Year's Eve (年夜饭);
Giving children and seniors red envelopes (Hong Bao, 红包) with money (Ya Sui Qian, 压岁钱) and another gifts;
Firecrackers and fireworks;
Watching lions and dragons dance.

House cleaning and decoration

A week before fresh Year’s Eve, all householders clean their apartments thoroughly. This symbolizes the removal of old, bad, unnecessary, or bad luck from the erstwhile year and the preparation of homes for the reception of happiness and prosperity. The main colour of this vacation is red, widely regarded as successful and happy, meaning prosperity and energy, which drives distant evil spirits and everything negative.

In the streets, parks, buying malls and another public places, various kinds of decorations are suspended, of course red, specified as lanterns, banners, greeting slogans, national flags (knowably – red), orange trees are besides set.

Peach, plums and daffodils are besides frequently found among the decorations, as they are thought to bring happiness.

The apartments are besides decorated with red Christmas features, specified as a base painted red.

The flat doors on both sides are decorated with want calligraphy (春联) to welcome the deity of wealth (财神) and prosperity. A sign of happiness (fu福) is placed in the mediate of the door. In the northern regions of the country, this sign is frequently hung upside down due to the fact that the word ‘top-down’ in Chinese sounds akin to ‘at arrival’. Thus, the reversed “luck” would mean the arrival of “luck”. The windows frequently display clippings symbolizing this sign and the mark of the animal from the Chinese horoscope under which the fresh Year will be.

Worship and Sacrifice to the Forerunners

Worship on the eve of the fresh Year to the household members, the clan who have left, is an old tradition that is inactive frequently maintained today. Many of them visit the graves of their ancestors that day, offering their favourite offerings, and at the Christmas table, they are left with 1 free seat, chopsticks and a glass.

household Christmas dinner

Chinese fresh Year is simply a time erstwhile families must be together, and Christmas dinner is its most crucial moment. It is expected that all loved ones, no substance where their destiny has cast their fate, will come to the household home on that day to celebrate together with the nearest fresh Year. Christmas dinner must be rich and exquisite, due to the fact that it's the only vacation of the year. Regardless of the difficulties that may have occurred during the year, the household always tries to prepare the best dishes.

The culinary habits and favourite dishes vary from region to region of the country. In the north, dumplings on steam (JiaoZi, 饺子) with various types of fillings specified as meat, seafood or vegetables are popular. In the south the dishes are more varied and colorful. In general, however, whether it is south, north, east or west of China, there must be a fish (鱼) on the Christmas table, which symbolizes abundance (余).

Eating fish at Christmas dinner symbolizes “NianNian YouYu” (年年有余, plenty of wealth each year). In the north, congee (腊八粥) is peculiarly popular – rice cooked with red beans, peanuts, dried fruit, lotus seeds, etc. In the south is popular Nian Gao (年糕, fresh Year's cake), a steamed cake made of sticky rice with sugar, considered to bring happiness. Tang Yuan (汤圆) appears on the table – cakes made from sticky rice flour, frequently in the mediate with a filling of red beans, nuts and sugar paste. The “spring Rolls” (春卷) are besides popular in Poland.

Giving children and seniors red envelopes with money and another gifts

Chinese fresh Year is simply a period of “red” envelopes with money (at 1 time symbolic, now more serious amounts are placed there – in red yuan banknotes).

They are handed to children and seniors. Non-working people (children, pensioners), which is simply a symbol of support for them in the fresh Year. While visiting family, friends, friends, we bring gifts specified as alcohol, tea, fruit baskets or sweets.

Firecrackers and fireworks

It's a habit that dies in cities. This is due to the ban on their use, due to air protection and the fight against noise. It was erstwhile an indispensable component in celebrating the departure of the old and the coming of the fresh year. The firecracker drove distant the evil powers, the colored fires in the sky were a symbol of welcoming the better fresh Year.

Watching lions and dragons dance

This is simply a peculiarly popular customized in the south of China.

A fresh secular tradition applies throughout the country: household viewing on Christmas Eve (always from 8:00 to 24:30) of the fresh Year's CCTV Gala. It is simply a tv show with the top ratings in the world.

What should we avoid, what should we not do?

Besides these customs, there are many others, specified as dressing for fresh Year only in fresh clothes. There are besides quite a few prohibited activities, due to the fact that – according to the common belief that what we do in the first days of the fresh Year affects the remainder of its days.

What can you not do? Avoiding What? Among another things:

sweeping and cleaning – that's sweeping your coming happiness;
eating a Chinese rice “oat” (rice with water) for breakfast, due to the fact that it is food for the mediocre – you will eat like them and you will be mediocre yourself;
washing clothes and washing your hair on the first day of fresh Year – this means washing off the grin of fortune;
perform manual work, crochet work or knitting;
cursing, saying words considered evil, and especially the word "death," for they may turn against the 1 who utters them;
borrowing money as well as holding debts – we give money before fresh Year's. We enter it without obligation;
contusions of plates, glass, mirrors – it is simply a bad omen, the announcement of failure in the coming year;
wearing black or white clothes, for these are the colors of misery and mourning;
Visiting a doctor, hospitals – it's vulnerability to any illness that's likely to affect us in fresh Year;
Crying due to the fact that it won't do any good.

You gotta be happy, you gotta be happy.

All of this should be avoided from Christmas Eve, for 16 days to Lantern Day (元宵节, YuanXiaoJie), which this year is February 24.

About the Nian Beast

Like all conventional festivals in China, besides the Chinese fresh Year has its legends, stories and myths that explain the beginning of its celebration and traditions associated with it.

One of the most popular legends about the beginnings of the vacation is about the mythical beast of Nian (年), which always on the eve of fresh Year approached houses and ate farm animals, crops, and even people. "Nian", in Chinese it sounds the same as "year". On 1 occasion a wise old man noticed that Nian was afraid of loud sounds (fireworks) and red color. So he encouraged people to put red lanterns and red symbols on their windows and doors to halt Nian from going inside, and slam bamboo sticks to deter the beast. People listened to the wise man and frightened Nian so that the monster never came back.

The customs and traditions associated with the Chinese fresh Year have evidently evolved over centuries, undergoing a long process of change. Today, many traditions are disappearing, and fresh ones appear in their place, specified as the mentioned watching of the tv fresh Year's Gala, online gift shopping, passing "red envelopes" through mobile payments of WeChatPay(微信支付) or AliPay (支付宝). Chinese besides frequently travel during Chinese fresh Year. Including overseas.