Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year – the year of The Rat. I didn’t know much about this Chinese holiday, so I decided to do a little research. Here is what I found out. If you celebrate this holiday, feel free to comment on this post and correct me if I misrepresent any aspect of this holiday! J
The Chinese New Year is the most important traditional Chinese Holiday. It begins on the first new moon of the year, and ends on the full moon 15 days later. Some in China prepare for the Chinese New Year months in advance… taking weeks off of work to celebrate and spend time with loved ones. Many businesses in China operate in “holiday” mode during this time with shorter hours. This is also China’s busiest travel season – known as The Great Migration (or Chunyon) – with over 2 billion traveling passengers during the Chinese New Year in 2006. That is more trips taken than the number of people who live in China.[1]
The Chinese New Year festivities vary from region to region. However, it is traditional during the Chinese New Year to visit family and friends, called “new year visits”. Many wear new clothing to symbolize the New Year. Many complete a thorough cleaning of their house, to sweep away any bad luck and prepare for the good fortune of the New Year. The color red is a common theme throughout the season. It is used in decorations, some put a new coat of paint on their red doors, and red packets containing money are given to children and young adults by the married and elders. Red is believed to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. [2]
It is traditional to have an elaborate feast with family and friends on the Chinese New Year’s Eve, which is Wednesday night. This feast is sometimes held at the home of the oldest member of the family. Many times ancestors are honored during this feast to thank them for the good fortune that they brought the family. After dinner fireworks are set off to scare away evil spirits.
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“Red couplets and red lanterns are displayed on the door frames and light up the atmosphere. The air is filled with strong Chinese emotions. In stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and other cities, products of traditional Chinese style have started to lead fashion trend[s]. Buy yourself a Chinese style coat, get your kids tiger-head hats and shows, and decorate your home with some beautiful red Chinese knots, then you will have an authentic Chinese-style Spring Festival. ” —Xinwen Lianbo, January 2001, quoted by Li Ren, Imagining China in the Era of Global Consumerism and Local Consciousness[3]
The Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival on the night of the full moon. Many different types of lanterns are created, some very elaborate… painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang them in temples and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the moon. In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which is sometimes 100 feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally young men guide the colorful dragon through the streets.
The pictures above show a dragon in Bangkok, and lanterns hung in Sydney. The Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the world, with the some of the biggest United States celebrations occuring in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
- Clifford, Coonan, written at Beijing, “Two billion journeys in China’s own great migration“, The Independent (London), 28 January 2006, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060128/ai_n16038008>. Retrieved on 16 August 2008
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The Chinese New Year http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html
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Li Ren (2003). Imagining China in the Era of Global Consumerism and Local Consciousness: Media, Mobility, and the Spring Festival. PhD thesis, College of Communications, Ohio University. Retrieved on 2007-09
