By Coco Trillium Learning Global 21 st Century Schools Project Kunming #8 High School, Kunming, China Teacher: Jane Zhao 赵坚
The Spring Festival New Year season lasts for fifteen days. The first week is the most important and most often celebrated with visits to friends and family as well as greetings of good luck. The celebrations end on the important and colourful Lantern Festival on the evening of the 15th day of the month. However, Chinese believe that on the third day ( 年初三 ) of the Chinese New Year it is not appropriate to visit family and friends, and call the day "chi kou" ( 赤口 ), meaning "easy to get into arguments".
Days before the new year
Money Given to Children OOn the night of Chuxi, or the night before the first day of new years, parents or grandparents usually put "yā suì qián" ( 压岁钱 ) or "end of year money" under children's pillows. The most common story of the origin of this tradition is below:
Offer a sacrifice to the Kitchen God Time:On the 23th or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month
'years', When the Chinese New Year coming,it is out of harm. Later it was found that it fear of red, so people put a pair of red paper on both side`s of the door, and the monster do not come the village Long long ago,there is a monster called “Xi”. New Year couplets posted on the practices of this was inherited. New Year's posters in our country is a civil practice. But you do not look at the small words, those words can be represented in the new year's blessings and hope.
It is said that Chinese ancient times there is a monster called ”Nian”. Every New Year's Eve,”Xi” climbs to shore, devouring livestock, harming human life. But the monster fears red, and the firecrackers’ sound. So people play firecrackers to drive away the monster.
The CCTV's Spring Festival evening show already became one of now global viewing ratings highest television programs. Spend about 4.5 hours. The national several billions warm- hearted audiences can watch before the television, greets the new year!
The New Year's Eve This day to the Chinese people are the great importance. This day of people prepare to eliminate old, bad stuff, and welcome anything new, have the family reunion dinner. In ancient times in China, some jail officials even let prisoners go home to reunite the new year's celebration with the family member.
Eating the sweet dumplings is also the winter solstice traditional custom, especially is in vogue in the south of Yangzi River. “the sweet dumplings” are winter solstice necessary food, is one kind the round- shaped sweets made with glutinous rice flour, “the circle” means that “reunion” “complete”, the winter solstice eat the sweet dumplings, drafts the family to be harmonious, to be prosperous likely, therefore in the winter solstice, the sweet dumplings to be called “the winter solstice group”.
TThe Festival of Lanterns takes place at the end of the Chinese New Year Celebration, on the fifteenth day of the first moon. Lanterns have been part of Chinese life for centuries so it's not surprising to see a festival of lanterns.