When and how to celebrate Chinese New Year
How Chinese New Year is celebrated (photo: Wikipedia)
The date of the Chinese New Year is constantly shifting but always falls between January 21 and February 20. It coincides with the day of the new moon, usually the second after the winter solstice. This year, it falls on February 10.
During the preparation of the material, the following sources were used: Wikipedia and the Royal Museum Greenwich.
How to celebrate the Chinese New Year
In the Chinese language, this holiday is usually called the Spring Festival. The celebration is traditionally accompanied by mass festivities for 16 days and ends with the Lantern Festival.
The Eastern New Year is one of the most important holidays in China, and it has spread to neighboring cultures. And it is loudly celebrated in countries where many Chinese live. Among them are Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, among others.
Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The New Year's festival was traditionally a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. In China, the regional customs and traditions of the New Year celebration are very different.
Usually, the whole family gathers at the festive table the night before. It is customary for even adult children to visit their parents. Dumplings are traditionally prepared for the meal. The Chinese believe that by eating them, they say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new one. There must also be fish on the table - it symbolizes wealth.
Also, for the holiday, a cake is prepared in the form of balls made of glutinous rice flour. The filling is often bean or nut powder with sugar. Eating glutinous rice balls on New Year's Day means family happiness and reunion in the new year.
Chinese New Year celebration (photo: Wikipedia)
Before this holiday, the house should be cleaned in order to get rid of any trouble and make way for future luck. On Chinese New Year's Eve, you must give money to children in red envelopes. Another custom is decorating windows and doors with red decor. It should attract luck, happiness, wealth and longevity to the house. So if you also want to attract prosperity to your home, decorate it with red elements.
One of the stages of celebrating the New Year is visiting street festivals. The dance of Lions and Dragons is traditional at this event. Many people are always going to watch this large-scale event.
Chinese New Year celebration (photo: Wikipedia)
Earlier we wrote about what experts have named lucky charms for each sign of the Zodiac for 2024.
