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Chinese New Year

Year of the Horse. Chinese New Year. What is Chinese New Year?.

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Chinese New Year

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  1. Year of the Horse Chinese New Year

  2. What is Chinese New Year? • The Chinese festival marking the start of the new year, beginning on the second new moon after the winter solstice and ending on the full moon fifteen days later. It is marked by visits to family and friends, special meals, fireworks, and gift giving.

  3. Chinese New Year – Explained… • The Chinese New Year is the most important of the holidays for Chinese. It is defined to be the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar. Unlike the Christian New Year which is based on a solar calendar, the Chinese New Year is based on a traditional Chinese luni-solar calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. A lunar month is around 2 days shorter than a solar month. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar, an extra month is inserted every few years. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

  4. A Time for Family • The New Year's Eve is the time for family reunion. Following by the reunion, people will normally visit relatives and friends, doing shopping, watch some traditional Chinese shows, launch some fireworks, and plan for the coming year. • The celebration will sometimes be highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of heaven, earth, and other gods, as well as the family ancestors. • In modern China, working professionals will normally have 7 days of holiday including weekend to celebrate. After the family reunion, some modern Chinese may take the chance to visit some tourist destinations.

  5. A Week Long Celebration

  6. Videos • Bet You Didn’t Know • Chinese New Year • Behind the News – Kids Celebrating

  7. The Legend behind the Animals • According to Chinese legend, the twelve animals quarreled one day as to who was to head the cycle of years. The gods were asked to decide and they held a contest: whoever was to reach the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finish. • All the twelve animals gathered at the river bank and jumped in. Unknown to the ox, the rat had jumped upon his back. As the ox was about to jump ashore, the rat jumped off the ox's back, and won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, ended up last. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second, and the pig last. • http://www.chinesenewyears.info/chinese-new-year-calendar.php

  8. New Year’s Eve Dinner • The New Year's Eve dinner is the most important dinner for Chinese. Normally this is the family reunion dinner, especially for those with family member away from home. • For New Year's Eve dinner, normally fish will be served. Dumplings are the most important dish in northern china. These two dishes mean prosperous. Other dishes are depending on personal preference. The majority of Chinese will have New Year's Eve dinner at home instead of restaurant.

  9. Dumplings

  10. New Year’s Cake It is solid cake made with glutinous rice flour together with some sugar. New Year Cake is popular in Eastern China.

  11. Fireworks • Fireworks are used to drive away the evil in China. Right after 12:00 AM of New Year's Eve, fireworks will be launched to celebrate the coming of the New Year as well as driven away the evil. It is believed that the person who launched the first Fireworks in the New Year will have good luck.

  12. Shou Sui • Shou Sui (守歲) means after the New Year's Eve dinner, family member will normally stay awake during the night. Some people just stay until the mid night, after the fireworks. According to tales and legends, there was a mythical beast called the "Year". At the night of New Year's Eve, the "Year" will come out to harm people, animals, and proprieties. Later people found that the "Year" is afraid of red color, fire, and loud sound. Therefore, at the New Year's Eve night, people will launch fireworks, put on some fires, and stay awakes the whole night to fend of the "Year".

  13. Red Packets • Red packet is a red envelope with money in it, range from one to a few thousand Chinese Yuan. Usually the red racket is given by adults, especially married couple, and elderly to young children in the New Year days. It was believed that the money in the red packet will suppress the evil from the children, keep the children healthy, and long living.

  14. New Year Markets • At the New Years days, a temporarily market will be setup mainly selling New Year goods, such as clothing, fireworks, decoration, foods, small arts, etc. The market is usually decorated with a large amount of lanterns.

  15. Decorating • After the cleaning their homes in preparation for the new year, people will decorate the house to welcome the New Year. Most of the decorations are red in color. The most popular New Year decorations are upside down fu, dui lian, lantern, year paint, paper cutting, door god, etc.

  16. New Years Activities • Before the New Year's Day - Shopping, cleaning, decoration • New Year's Eve - Family dinner, Shou Sui, Launch Fireworks • First Day of the New Year - In some place, people stay at home on the first day. In other place, people greeting each other, especially younger people will visit and greet the older relatives and friends. • Second Day - Some people will host some religious ceremony to honor the gods. Married female will visit their parents. • Third Day - Ceremony to honor the ancestors • Fifteenth Day - This is the Yuan Xiao festival, also called lantern festival. This is also the end of the New Year celebrations.

  17. Chinese New Year Greetings • Wan Shi Ru Yi: means everything follow your will • Ji Xiang Ru Yi: means harmony and follow your will • Sui Sui Ping An: means harmony and safely year around • Gong Xi FaCai: means Congratulations and be prosperous. Mostly used in southern China.

  18. Chinese New Year in the USA • http://www.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=891

  19. What to Learn More? • http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/china/ • http://www.groupon.com/deals/chinese-lantern-festival-27

  20. Legend of Nian • An ancient Chinese legend tells of a man-eating predatory beast called Nian, extremely fierce, with a long head and sharp horn. Nian dwelled deep in the sea the whole year long, but on every Chinese New Year eve it would climb onto the shore to devour livestock and harm humans in a near-by village. Therefore, every Chinese New Year's Eve, all the villagers would take their old and young deep into the mountains to hide from Nian. • One Chinese New Year's Eve a grey haired man appeared in the village. He asked permission to stay for the night and assured everyone that he would chase away the beast. No one believed him. In addition, the old man steadfastly refused to go to the mountains to hide. Seeing that he could not be persuaded, the villagers departed without him.

  21. Legend of Nian • When the beast arrived at the village to wreck havoc as usual, it was met with a sudden burst of exploding firecrackers. Startled by the noise, the flashes of light and red banners flying about, it hastily turned and fled! • The following day, as the people returned from the mountains, they found the village intact and safe. The old man had left, but they found the remains of the three precious items he had used to chase the beast Nian away. They all agreed that the old man must be a deity who had come to help free them of the beast.

  22. Legend of Nian • From then on, every Chinese New Year's Eve, families would hang red banners, set off fire crackers, and light their lamps the whole night through, awaiting the Chinese New Year. The custom spread far and wide and became a grand traditional celebration of the "Passing of Nian" ("Nian" in Chinese means "year"). So celebrating the Chinese New Year should be called "passing of Nian" or "Guo Nian" in Chinese.

  23. Year of the Horse – Paper Cutting • Paper cutting is a traditional folk art in China, its birthplace over 1500 years ago. During festivals such as Chinese New Year, paper-cuts are used to decorate doors, walls, and windows in homes, and are presented as gifts to good friends and family. • http://www.craftiments.com/2014/01/chinese-new-year-paper-cutting-for-kids.html

  24. Sources • http://projectbritain.com/calendar/january/chinese.html • http://traditions.cultural-china.com/en/211Traditions9200.html • http://www.chinesenewyears.info/chinese-new-year-traditions.php • http://www.craftiments.com/2014/01/chinese-new-year-paper-cutting-for-kids.html

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