Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide to
mark the first day of the New Year in the
Chinese calendar,
which differs from the Gregorian
calendar. It is also known as
the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year and celebrations can last for about
15 days.
What do people do?
Chinese New Year is the most important and
longest of all Chinese festivals, celebrated in Chinese communities worldwide.
Chinese New Year activities include:
Many children receive “lucky money” in red
envelopes and household doors are open to let good luck enter on Chinese New
Year. Chinese New Year may also include a lantern festival, where people hang
decorated lanterns in temples and carry lanterns to an evening parade.
Public life
Chinese New Year is a public holiday in China,
which lasts for a few days. It is also a public holiday in countries such as
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam.
It is not a public holiday in countries such
as Australia, Canada, the
United Kingdom or the
United States. However, some
businesses may close early and some streets may be closed for a short while to allow
for festival parades to take place.
Background
The Chinese New Year festival is believed go
as far back as prehistory. It marks the start of the new lunar cycle and is
called the Spring Festival (in the northern hemisphere) as it falls between the
December
solstice and the March
equinox. China follows the
Gregorian calendar for daily business but the dates of the Chinese New Year and
other important festivals are determined by the Chinese calendar.
The Chinese New Year, which is the first day
of the first month, in the Chinese calendar is assigned to an animal. According
to one belief, Buddha promised gifts to all animals that would pay him homage.
Only 12 animals came to honor Buddha so, to favor these 12 animals, each one
was given one of the 12 years of the Chinese zodiac. People born during one of
the animal's years are said to inherit distinctive characteristics of that
animal. The signs repeat every 12 years.
The Chinese
calendar is based on
astronomical observations of the sun's longitude and the moon's phases. It is
believed to have been introduced by Emperor Huangdi (or Huang Ti) at some stage
around 2600 to 3000 years BCE. According to legend, the emperor invited the
calendar in 2637 BCE. This calendar predates the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced in 1582. The Chinese
lunar calendar is used to determine festivals, so the dates of these festivals
vary each year. Various Chinese communities around the world also use this
calendar.
Symbols
Chinese New Year has various symbols and
traditions. For example, flowers are an important part of New Year decorations.
Two flowers that are often associated with Chinese New Year are the plum
blossom (courage and hope) and the water narcissus (good luck and fortune).
Writings that refer to good luck are often seen in homes and business
environments. They are usually written by brush on a diamond-shaped piece of
red paper. Tangerines and oranges are also displayed in many homes and stores
as a sign of luck and wealth.
Envelopes with money (Hong Bao, Ang
Pao, or Lai See), often come in the color red, which symbolizes
happiness, good luck, success and good fortune. The color red is also used on
these envelopes to ward off evil spirits. These envelopes are mainly given as
presents to children. Each Chinese New Year is associated with an animal name
for one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.
The original link on this subject can be found at: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/chinese-new-year
Another link on the calculation method can be found at: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/about-chinese.html
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