zhōng guó xīn nián 中国新年 CHINESE NEW YEAR

Entertainment during NY Chinese New Year Summary Decoration before NY Entertainment during NY Special food ate in NY Traditions of NY

What is Chinese New Year? The most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. Celebrated by Chinese people all over the world. Also known as “Spring Festival” or “Lunar New Year”

Spring Festival chūn jié 春节

Chinese New Year According to the Chinese calendar, the New Moon on the first day of the new year -- the full moon 15 days later. The Day is the Chinese Lunar New Year, also Spring Festival.

What is the date of Chinese New Year? Chinese new year of 2012 falls on 23rd January, 2012，which lasts 15 days The date of the Chinese New Year is always changing and is dependant on the Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar is a combined solar/lunar calendar and is somewhat similar to the Chinese calendar. For the purpose of determining the dates of the Chinese New Year some astronomical calculations need to be taken care of. Firstly, we need to determine the dates for the new moon. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival.

The Chinese calendar has a twelve year cycle and What is the year of 2012? The Chinese calendar has a twelve year cycle and one of the most important characteristics of Chinese New Year calendar is that it names each of the twelve years after an animal. Chinese New Year 2012 is the year of the dragon. 1. According to one legend, in the sixth century B.C. Buddha invited all the animals in creation to a race, only twelve showed up: the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Lam, Monkey, Cock, Dog, and Pig, and according to their places in the race, Buddha had given them each a number starting with the Rat who was the winner of the race.

Days before the new year House cleaning Sweep away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck

Days before the new year Decorate the house with Auspicious phrases and couplets Paper cut outs on the window New Year shopping

Decoration Chūn lián 春 联 Spring couplet

Chūn lián 春 联 Spring couplet

Decoration Mén shén 门 神 Door God

Decoration Nián huà 年画 New Year Picture

Decoration dēnglóng 灯 笼 Lantern

Decoration Jiǎn zhĭ 剪 纸 papercuts

Guò Nián 过 年 New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors. The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

New Year's Eve Have a Reunion dinner In northern China –dumplings In southern China -new year cake 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. This meal is comparable to Christmas dinner in the West. In northern China, it is customary to make dumplings (jiaozi 饺子) after dinner and have it around midnight. Dumplings symbolize wealth because their shape is like a Chinese tael. By contrast, in the South, it is customary to make a new year cake (Niangao, 年糕) after dinner and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the coming days of the new year. Niangao literally means increasingly prosperous year in year out.

New Year's Eve Before the dinner Some families go to local temples In modern practice, many family hold parties

New Year's Eve After dinner many families will banter whilst watching the CCTV New Year's Gala in the hours before midnight

New Year's Eve chú xī 除夕 It literally means "Year-pass Eve".

Special Food jiǎozi 饺子 Chinese dumpling

To eat dumplings chī jiǎo zi 吃饺子

Special Food Nián gāo 年 糕 New year’s rice cake

Tradition Hóng bāo 红包 Red Packets

Entertainment Biān pào 鞭炮 fireworks Yān huā 烟花 firecrackers

Entertainment Wŭ lóng 舞 龙 dragon dance Wŭ shī 舞 狮 lion dance

Chinese New Year

How do we name the days during New Year? Chū 初 E.g. chū yī 初一 初二 初三…

Fifth day of the new year people eat Jiǎozi 饺子(dumplings) on the morning of Chuwu (初五). This is also the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth

Seventh day of the new year It is the day when tossed raw fish salad is eaten. This is a custom primarily among the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore. People get together to toss the colourful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity.

Ninth day of the new year The ninth day is traditionally the birthday of the Jade Emperor. It is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven

Fifteenth day of the new year celebrated as Yuán xiāo jié (元宵节), People eat yuán xiāo jié (元宵节), which is a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day.

Fifteenth day of the new year This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.

What do we say to each other during Chinese New Year? guò nián hǎo 过年好 In folded hands

Greetings Gōng xĭ fā cái 恭 喜 发 财 Congratulations for getting rich! Xīn nián kuài lè 新 年 快 乐 Happy new year!

Make your own Chinese New Year Card Fold it in the middle Design your own picture: Write your wishes in Chinese Draw something related to Chinese new Year use your imagination Send it to your teacher or friends in Salesian College.

谢谢 2012 龙年