9 fun things to know about the Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the most important festival in China and a major event in other Asian countries. Chinese Lunar New Year 2024 will fall on Feb 10th. Here are 9 interesting facts about Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is often referred to as Lunar New Year because it is based on the lunar calendar, which is a calendar based on the cycles of the moon. While the Chinese calendar is indeed a lunisolar calendar, meaning it takes into account both the phases of the moon and the position of the sun, the emphasis on the lunar aspect of the calendar has led to the common use of the term "Lunar New Year" to refer to the Chinese New Year. This celebration is also observed by other East Asian countries and is known by different names in different cultures.
Chinese New Year is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. In Chinese, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival as the Spring season in the lunisolar calendar traditionally starts with lichun, the first of the twenty-four solar term which the festival celebrates around the time of the Chinese New Year. Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season.
What is the most interesting thing about Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year lasts 16 days (though only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday). This year 2024, the holiday begins on Saturday, February 10- February 17, 2024, there are many festivities and traditions that take place throughout this holiday. One important aspect to know is that Chinese New Year marks the transition between zodiac signs: 2022 was the Year of the Tiger and 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon.
The zodiac animals follow one another in an established order and are repeated every 12 years: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. In a folklore story that explains the origins of the cycle, the animals hold a race to determine their order.
1- Decorate everything red& Fireworks for drove the monster away.
According to an old legend, there was once a monster named Nian. It would come out every New Year’s Eve. Most people would hide in their homes, but one boy ventured out to fight the monster off with firecrackers. The day after, people celebrated their survival by setting off even more firecrackers. This became an integral practice during the holiday. In China, fireworks will go off at different times depending on the region, but the most common times include when the reunion dinner is ready, at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, again in the morning of the new year and the last day of celebration.
Decorate everything red ,Families will wear red clothes to Spring Festival festivities, and will also decorate their homes in red to ward off the bad and bring in the good. Also wearing red is that ultimately drove the monster away, Chinese families hang up red lanterns, strings of chili peppers.
Spring New Year Fireworks
Chinese New Year Couplets
2- Spent time with family.
Chinese New Year often serves as a family reunion. Everyone returns home particularly for the New Year’s Eve dinner. In modern China, most elderly parents live in rural villages while their children work in the cities. With masses of people traveling at the same time, it is often referred to as the Spring Migration
A Crowded Chinese train station at New Year
Family reunion
3- spring cleaning before the Lunar New Year and No showering, sweeping, or throwing out garbage before the 5th.
Most “spring cleaning” will happen before the Lunar New Year that’s because during the holiday, it’s believed that sweeping and removing trash symbolizes misfortune and bad luck, especially during the first three days. Cleaning before the new year will help get rid of the bad luck, but during the holiday, you don’t want to sweep or wash away any good luck that comes. Many people also will not wash or cut their hair, as the Chinese character for “hair” is the same first character for “prosper.” Washing or cutting your hair is seen as a way to wash your prosperity away.
No showering, sweeping, or throwing out garbage until before the 5th.Yes, you read that right! Showering isn’t allowed on New Year’s Day, and sweeping and throwing out garbage isn’t allowed before the 5th. The intention behind this is to ensure you don’t wash away the good luck that the New Year brings. But don’t worry, there’s a day before the Spring Festival dedicated to cleaning– it sweeps the bad luck away to make room for the good.
4- Children receive lucky money in red pockets.
It’s a tradition to give your friends and family bright red envelopes filled with money. But it’s not about the money — it’s all about the envelopes. They symbolize good wishes and luck for the year ahead. With today’s technology, many people have exchanged digital red envelopes instead of the traditional paper ones.
The tradition comes from an old story about a demon, Sui, who would terrorize children on New Year’s Eve. Parents would try to keep their children awake by giving them eight coins to play with. Inevitably, many of the children would fall asleep, and the coins (eight immortals in disguise) would light up and drive the demon away. The envelope is now symbolic of the coins.
The amount of money never includes the number 4 because the Chinese pronunciation of “four” sounds like the word for death.
Red Pockets
Guo Nian Hao & Red Pockets
5- Eat lots of dumplings
Many people will eat dumplings during the New Year’s Eve dinner. Why? Dumplings are associated with wealthiness. According to Chinese tradition, the more dumplings you eat during New Year celebrations, the more prosperity you will experience in the year ahead.
Dumpling
Dumplings
6-- It’s also a time to gather with family and honor ancestors Family is an important part of the Asian culture and holidays like the Lunar New Year mark a special time to gather with loved ones. Part of the Lunar New Year is the reunion dinner, known as Tuan Nian or Wei Lu, where families gather on New Year’s Eve. It’s considered one of the most important parts of the celebration.Many will also take part in ancestor worship, which is based on the belief that deceased family members are continuing to live in the spiritual world. By paying their respects to their ancestors, they believe that the departed will bless the family. Ancestors are usually invited to join the reunion dinner and will be served their favorite dishes.
7- Greetings go “Gong Xi Fa Chai”
In western culture, we say “Happy New Year” and make resolutions. But in eastern cultures, the new year is welcomed with wishes of luck, health and good fortune. In Mandarin, typically you would say “Gong Xi Fa Chai,” which means “Wishing you prosperity and wealth.”
Other greetings include sayings like:
- May wealth come pouring in
- May you have abundance every year
- Good luck and fortune
- May everything go as you wish
Gong xi fa cai
TV Shows- The spring Festival
8- The New Year's Eve Gala is the world's most-watched TV show.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, most of China tunes in to watch the New Year's Eve Gala on the national television.
9- Chinese New year ends with the Lantern Festival. The first full moon of the (lunar) year is the Yuanxiao Festival or Lantern Festival. This serves as a night of freedom and celebration! In ancient times, women weren’t allowed to venture outside by themselves. On this night, however, they were able to walk around, moon-gaze, and look at the beautiful lanterns. For this reason, it’s also known as Valentine’s Day in China.
Chinese Lantern
Red Lantern
Thank you to all our clients for your continued trust in Borhaf Metal Fabricator. Your support is truly valued.
Please be aware, our factory will be closed from February 5th to February 15th for the Lunar New Year, as we take time to celebrate with family.
We’re grateful for your understanding and look forward to an exciting year ahead. Wishing you prosperity and success in the New Year. Thank you for your partnership. Here’s to a prosperous year together!
