Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year Fun Facts
- The Chinese New Year goes by the Lunar Calendar and it changes every year.
- 2009 is the year of the ox. It's said that people born in the year of the ox are dependable, trustworthy, and become painters, engineers, and architechs.
- Wearing a black dress during The Chinese New Year is said to be bad luck. You are supposed to wear red clothing.
Where It's Celebrated
- The Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with signifigant Chinese populations, such as China, including Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Phillippines, Mauritius, Vietnam, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere.
Traditions
- Not only is the choice of the gift important in Chinese culture, but how much you spend on it, how you wrap it, and how you present it are equally important. They give gifts to show their appreciation to eachother. There really is no specific gift giver.
How is it Celebrated
- Before the New Year arrives, the Chinese consider it very important to give their house a thorough cleaning, sweeping away any bad luck.
- The Chinese visit parades and festivals with dancers, dragons, and food. Later they would eat a large banquet.
The Origin of the Festival
Foods, Songs, Music, Dances, and Parades
- The centuries-old legend on the origins of the New Year celebration varies from teller to teller. But they all include a story of a terrible mythical monster who preyed on villigers. The lion-like monsters name was Nian which is also the Chinese word for "year."
- Mandarin oranges, nian gao, dumplings, whole carp, hair seaweed with dried oysters, lotus roots, roast, and duck or chicken are some foods they eat during the festivals.
- Some songs they sing are Yao Li, Wu Ying-yin, Zhang Fan, Grace Chang, White Light, and Sam Hui.
- They visit parades and large banquets with dancing to celebrate the New Year.
When it Occurs
- The New Year begins at sunset on the day of the 2nd new moon following the winter solstice (between January 21st and February 19th).