Traditional Celebration of Chinese New Year
Introduction to Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is the most important and widely celebrated festival of all in China. It is celebrated from the 1st day of the 1st lunar month to the 15th day of the 1st lunar month and this ending day is called Lantern Festival. The night before is called Chinese New Year's Eve (Chuxi in Chinese pinyin). This is a time for the family reunions, visiting relatives and friends and exchanging greetings for the coming New Year. It is also a time to ring out the old and ring in the new. The Chinese New Year can also be called "Guonian" which means the passing through of the old year to the new one. This festival emphasizes the importance of family ties. The dinner gathering of Chinese New Year's Eve is the most important family occasion of the year.
The Origin of Chinese New Year
There are several versions for the origin of Chinese New Year. The most widely heard one is that there was a mythical beast called "Nian" which means "year" in Chinese. Nian always came on the first day of New Year to prey on livestock, crops, and even people. In order to protect themselves, people started putting food in front of their doors at the beginning of every New Year, as they believed that after Nian ate the food they prepared for him, he wouldn't eat any of their crops and people. And coincidentally, some people once saw that Nian was scared away by the red clothes worn by a child. Then, people concluded that Nian was afraid of red color. Therefore, in preparation for the New Year, people began to buy new red clothes for themselves. Also, they hung red lanterns and red spring couplets on doors and windows. Firecrackers were also lit up to scare Nian away. From then on, Nian never came back again.
And thus, the tradition of has been handed down from generation to generation. People still buy many red things in preparation for the New Year: Red clothes, red lanterns, red paper-cuttings, red spring couplets and red fireworks and firecrackers, and so on. And you should now know that people don't just feel the color red exciting and festive, they have a reason to do that.
Symbolic Cuisines of Chinese New Year
On Chinese New Year's Eve, members of the family, big or small, near or far away, gather for a "reunion dinner". The most common dishes for this dinner are chicken and fish. There are many symbolic cuisines prepared for the New Year. For example, the above-mentioned fish is "yu" in Chinese pinyin, it symbolizes that there are always surpluses. Mostly in northern China "Jiaozi" (dumplings) are made, which symbolizes that luck is wrapped inside. While in eastern China, "Nian gao" (Chinese New Year Pudding) is prepared, symbolizing a more prosperous year. People also buy melon seeds, candy, etc.
Common Practices of Chinese New Year
A few days before the New Year, every corner of the house must be swept and cleaned. This is to wipe away the old and evil spirits. Then, on the eve of the New Year, decorations like red paper-cuttings, lanterns, or spring couplets are put up. Written in black ink on large vertical scrolls of red paper, spring couplets are put up on the sides of the doors, windows, or other gate-ways. The couplets are mainly short poems written in classical Chinese, which expresses good wishes for the family in the coming New Year.
Red envelopes ("hongbao" in Chinese pinyin) are sold all around the markets and streets. They are used to put money in and the money is called "ya sui qian", symbolizing pressing down the evils. Usually, adults or the old give red envelopes with any amount of money (it can be 5 yuan or 100 yuan or more) in it to the juniors. On the cover of the red envelopes, there are usually icons of what the year belongs to or some common greetings like "xin nian kuai le" (Happy New Year) "ji xiang ru yi" (wish everything goes well for you). Some people don't use any red envelopes; instead, they give money to the younger directly.
Dragon dance and lion dance are very popular and common during the Chinese New Year. From the 1st day of New Year to the 15th day, streets and homes are filled with dragon and lion dances. They are formed by a group of people, some of whom manage the "dragon" and the "lion", while some of whom beat the drums. It is believed that the loud noise created by the drums, along with the faces of the dragon and lion and scare away evil spirits.
When the New Year celebration ends on the 15th day of the New Year, there comes the Lantern Festival. On the evening of that day, in some places, people make lanterns and put them into a main river and just let them flow with the currents of water. In other places, there are lantern parades. People bring lanterns with them and walk on the streets. Young men may highlight the parade with a dragon dance.
The Essentials of a Traditional Chinese New Year's Day
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