Chinese New Year by Alejandro, Katerina, and Mateo

What is Chinese New Year? Chinese New Year is the most significant holiday for the Chinese. It starts on the first day of the first month based on the lunar calendar. The date changes each year, but it always falls on the second moon after the winter solstice. The celebration usually consists of family reunions, fireworks, and the traditional dragon and lion dance. It ends with the Lantern Festival fifteen days later. It is also known as the Spring Festival and everything done during this holiday is meant to bring luck and good fortune for the coming year.

Lantern Festival

History Chinese New Year dates back to many centuries ago. The celebration originated when a mythical monster, Nian, would prey on villagers, livestock, and crops. In the Chinese language, the word “Nian” means “year”. One wise old man decided to scare off the dragon with drums, firecrackers, and by hanging red paper cutouts on doors. The dragon had a fear of loud noises and the color red. He was scared away until the next year!

Traditions During the festivities, families and friends get together for reunions. People clean their homes and place welcoming decorations on their doors such as banners. The decorations are red and gold. These colors symbolize joy, loyalty, truth, and wealth. It is traditional to give red envelopes filled with money to children. The money is believed to keep evil away from children and bring them health and long lives. The tradition of Shou Sui (after the New Year’s Dinner) is when people stay awake for the whole night to fight off the evil forces of Nian. People launch fireworks and the first person to do so is supposed to receive good luck. The slide below shows firecrackers and yuanbaos, ancient Chinese currency displayed to attract wealth to a house.

Foods There are various traditional foods that are eaten during New Years to give good fortune. Two very important dishes are dumplings and fish. These courses represent prosperity. Some others include New Years Cake, Tang Yuan (small rice balls), and LaBa Congee (a mixture of rice, nuts, and beans). These last two foods are typically eaten during the Lantern Festival. Oranges, whose Chinese name sounds like the word for wealth, and tangerines, whose name sounds like the Chinese word for luck, are also very popular foods.

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