Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar, so it is also called the Lunar New Year. And it is also referred to as the Spring Festival since it is the beginning of the Spring term, which is the first term of the 24 terms on the lunar calendar. The Chinese New Year begins on January 28, 1998. Every year represents an animal. This is the year of the rat. Chinese New Year is the most important and longest holiday in China. Chinese will begin celebrating on the New Year's Eve and the celebrations will last for 15 days. Ever year represents and animal and this year, it is the year of the rat. In the next subsequent paragraphs. I will elaborate further on the procedures and rituals, superstitions and taboos of Chinese New Year.

In the past, there used to be a saying Bringing in the New Year and Expelling The Old. That saying is still being used until today. On the eve of Chinese New Year,shooting off firecrackers is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out. There is also another belief that all debts had to paid by this time. Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all the year. Back when tinder and flint were used, no one would lend them on this day or give a light to others. During the preparation for Chinese New Year, it starts a month before the new year,which includes thoroughly cleaning and decorating the house, buying new clothes, preparing enough food for at least two weeks. The decorations are highly symbolic with a lot of lucky words, printed paintings and red colors everywhere. Everyone gets a haircut before the new year. So everything and everyone looks new and fresh on the new year which symbolizes a new starts. The biggest event of any Chinese New Year's Eve is the dinner every family will have. A dish consisting of fish will appear on the tables of Chinese families. It is for display for the New Year's Eve dinner. After the dinner, some families go to local temples, hours before the new year begins to pray for a prosperous new year; however in modern practice, many households hold parties and even hold a countdown to the new lunar year. Giving Hongbao or red packets during Chinese new year is another tradition. A Red packet is simply a red envelope with money in it, which symbolizes luck and wealth. Red packets are typically handed out to younger generation by their parents, grand parents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends.

On the first day of Chinese New Year, it is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. When visiting a house or family for Chinese New Year, it is tradition for the family to display a spread of chinese delicacies for the guests to eat. These delicacies includes mandarin oranges, melon seeds, nian gao which is also known as new year cake, and lastly roasted barbecue pork also known as bakkwa. The second day of the Chinese New Year is for married daughters to visit their birth parents. Traditionally, daughters who have been married may not have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently. On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs. The third and fourth day of the Chinese New Year are generally accepted as inappropriate days to visit relatives and friends due to the following schools of thought.

There are many superstitions for Chinese New Year. In order to receive good luck, the windows and doors of a household must be open. Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to 'scare away' ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the new year. Sweets are eaten to ensure the consumer a "sweet" year. However the are also many taboos to Chinese New Year. They are believed to bring bad luck. Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words. Negative terms and the word "four", or "si" in Chinese which sounds like the word for death, are not to be uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. Sweeping the floor is usually forbidden on the first day, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year. The use of knives and scissors -- indeed any sharp instrument -- is to be avoided, for these things could augur bad luck in the coming year. Buying books is bad luck because the word for "book" is a homonym to the word "lose". Avoid clothes in black and white, as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional funeral colour.

So basically Chinese New Year is very popular and being celebrated in many parts of the world because it marks a new beginning not just for the chinese but for everyone. More importantly, the meaning of Chinese New Year is to get together with family members with friends and just have a good time.