Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is a traditional holiday in China. Also called the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year is celebrated for fifteen days and is traditionally the most important holiday of the year for the Chinese. Those celebrating the holiday engage in many different activities and traditions, including decorating the home, enjoying special meals with their families, watching firework displays, and giving gifts of money to children. The celebrations today are somewhat different than they were in the past. Besides China, the Chinese New Year is observed in other countries with significant Chinese populations.

Overview

The Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is typically a fifteen-day celebration among Chinese people. The Chinese New Year is based on the ancient Chinese calendar, which has existed since the fourteenth century BCE The calendar was set according to the lunar phases and the solar solstices and equinoxes. It was also set according to the Chinese zodiac, or the cycle of twelve signs along the path of the sun. Each sign is associated with an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each new year is marked by the characteristics of one of the animals.

Traditionally, the Chinese New Year holiday followed a lunar calendar and began in the middle of the twelfth lunar month and ended around the middle of the first lunar month of the next year. Today, the holiday is observed on New Year’s Eve and the first few days of the new year. In China, people are generally given seven days off to observe the holiday.

Prior to the Chinese New Year, many Chinese people completely clean their homes, including their clothes, bedding, and kitchenware. This is meant to say goodbye to the old year and create a clean environment to welcome in the new year. People then decorate their homes in various ways. They paste red paper cutouts on windows, adorn their homes with new year paintings and spring couplets, and place images of the god of doors on their front doors. Public places such as department stores, office buildings, and streets are also decorated for the holiday.

During the Chinese New Year, people partake in many activities and traditions. Many people visit with relatives and feast together. People often watch public firework displays, set off fireworks, and enjoy dancing dragon performances. Many people also watch the televised CCTV New Year Gala, also known as the Spring Festival Gala, which is a variety show featuring China’s best singers, musical groups, dancers, and acrobats. One holiday tradition is to give out “lucky money.” This is money in red envelopes given as a gift to children and unmarried adults without a job. The money is meant to bring good luck and fortune and ward off evil spirits. Another tradition is to pay respect and make sacrifices to ancestors. People often honor their ancestors by going to a temple or performing rituals at a shrine. On the fifteenth day of the new year, the takes place and brings the Chinese New Year celebration to a close. Lanterns are lit and then sent into the sky or let go by the sea, rivers, or lakes.

Food is a significant part of the Chinese New Year. During each day of the holiday, people generally enjoy special meals with family, often rotating between the homes of their relatives. Celebrations often last all day, with families enjoying two meals together each day. Some of the traditional dishes include Eight Treasures Rice, which contains glutinous rice, walnuts, dry fruit, raisins, sweet red bean paste, jujube dates, and almonds; Tang Yuan, a black sesame rice ball soup; Won Ton soup; Song Gao, which consists of coarsely ground rice formed into a small, sweet round cake; Jiu Niang Tang, sweet wine-rice soup that contains small glutinous rice balls; and chicken, duck, fish, and pork dishes.

The Chinese New Year has evolved over time. In the past, the holiday was based on fear and myth. A wild beast named Nien was thought to arrive at the end of the year and attack villagers. To scare away Nien, people would use loud noises and bright lights. Today, the holiday is less about fear and myth and more about celebration and spending time with family. Holiday meals have also changed over time. Traditionally, people prepared dishes from scratch and enjoyed them at relatives’ homes. Many people today buy prepackaged dishes at supermarkets, hire a professional chef to prepare meals in their homes, or go out to a restaurant with their families, particularly on New Year’s Eve. In fact, many people must make reservations at a restaurant months in advance for New Year’s Eve dinner. Another example of the holiday’s evolution is the way in which young Chinese people view the holiday. Instead of celebrating the holiday with family, many Chinese youth today prefer browsing the Internet, watching television, spending time with friends, or relaxing.

The Chinese New Year is not only celebrated in China, but also in other countries with significant Chinese populations, such as the United States. For example, San Francisco, California, which has a large Chinese population, has held Chinese New Year celebrations since the 1860s. The city also hosts one of the largest Chinese New Year parades outside of Asia.

Bibliography

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Chinese New Year Traditions.” History.com, 19 Mar. 2021, www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year-traditions. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

“Luna New Year 2024.” History.com. www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

“Traditional Chinese Festivals.” China Internet Information Center. www.china.org.cn/english/features/Festivals/78322.htm. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.