Celebration of Chinese New Year 🧧
When you see lion dances, mandarin oranges, ang pows and everything
nice that means Chinese New Year is coming. These are characteristics of
Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year heralds the beginning of spring. The beginning of New Year can take place on any date between late January or early February. Each year of Chinese New Year is not the same as the date. Based on the research this celebration will take over 15 days to begin with the new moon and end until full moon.(History.com Editors, 2021) Moreover, each new year is represented by one of the 12 zodiac animals. In research from (History.com Editors, 2021) the 12 different animals are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. According to new research there is an interesting legend about the origin of the Chinese zodiac. The Jade Emperor wanted to select 12 animals to be his palace guards. He preferred the Ox to be the first for its honesty and diligence, but out of everyone’s expectation, the smart Rat covertly hid on the Ox's back and occupied the first place at the essential moment. The Tiger was crowned as the King of the Forest while the Dragon was titled the Lord of the Sea, and they ranked behind the Ox. The Rabbit won a race with the Dragon and gained No. 4. The Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, and Rooster followed. The Dog was punished to be the last one for biting the Rabbit in a pet. Actually the Dog was the 11th, because there is one being late for the interview – the Pig finally took the last place.(Chinese Zodiac: 12 Animal Signs, Calculator, Origin, App, 2021)
Click here for more information of 12 zodiac animals
 |
| (China Highlights, 2021) |
Before the actual day, there are lots of preparations to be done. For one thing, the entire house must be cleaned and repaired from top to bottom. It is believed that things that are old and broken will cause bad luck when carried into the New Year. Looking for research from Lim (2021) damaged utensils are a sign of broken luck and they bring bad Feng Shui. They affect the prosperity of the family. Besides that, new things must be bought, especially new clothes. They must preferably be in red because red means good luck. No one ever wears black during Chinese New Year. It is a taboo. The house is decorated with red couplets bearing Chinese writing. In research from C.(2021) on the couplets, good wishes or statements are expressed. There are red lanterns put up all around the house, especially in front of the door. According to new research, hanging a red lantern in front of the door is believed to drive off bad luck.(C.,2021) After the decoration, the ambience of Chinese New Year is full of the whole house. All decorations are in bright red. These bring good luck, peace and health.
 |
| (Decorate for Chinese New Year, 2019) |
On Chinese New Year’s eve, my entire family gathers in my home for dinner. This reunion dinner is one of the most important aspects of the festival. According to new research, reunion dinner is the most crucial time to be home.(2021b) This dinner makes family members, near and far, all sit and enjoy the food together. The food is tasty too. We have dumplings, prawns, fish, sweet rice balls, chicken and delicacies that symbolize prosperity for the coming year. Looking for research from YiLi International Etiquette (2021) the Chinese meals for reunion dinner have their hidden meaning, fish symbolises abundance and an increase in prosperity; chicken bears the meaning of luck and togetherness as a family; prawns means filled with happiness and laugh 'ha ha'; dumplings represent wealth because of their traditional gold and silver ingot shape.
 |
| (Reunion Dinner, 2021) |
 |
| (Chinese Meals, 2019) |
At the stroke of midnight, some naughty neighbours set off firecrackers. Some children cheerfully throw mini explosives on the street. According to new research these are very important for the Chinese as the sound of firecrackers is supposed to frighten off all the evil spirits. As the legend goes, a monster named Nian would come out to eat villagers and destroy their houses on each New Year’s Eve. The villagers discovered that burning dry bamboo to produce an explosive sound scared away the monster. Since then, it has become a tradition at Chinese New Year.(2021a) The cacophony of firecrackers makes us excited and happy as we know that the first day of Chinese New Year is coming. We stay up for this joyful moment.
 |
| (Chinese New Year Firecrackers, 2021) |
Next day, the first day of Chinese New Year, we wear our new clothes that are all bright red. Friends and neighbours throng each other’s houses with some gifts, usually mandarin oranges. We greet each other with “Xin Nian Kuai Le” which means “Happy New Year”. Based on the research University of Malaya, Prof Dr Yam Kah Kean said “Xin Nian Kuai Le”, which means “Happy New Year”.(2021a) Children and younger unmarried people are busy collecting ang pow, a red packet of money. Money in red packets is believed to bring good luck, so it has another name called lucky money. According to research, New Year's Day is also a time to worship. People with religious beliefs would go to temples to burn incense and pray for a smooth and safe year.(2021 Chinese New Year Calendar: Day-by-Day Guide for Preparing and Celebrating Lunar New Year, 2021)
 |
| (Ang Pow, 2019) |
Chinese New Year is a time of merriment. It brings families
together. It is a colourful, noisy and fun celebration. It is my favourite
festival.
Question: What your favourite part in Chinese New Year Celebration?
History.com Editors. (2021, March 19). Chinese New Year 2021. HISTORY. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year
Show Tv, T.L. (2018, March 19). Astrology:Spirit Animals Based on Your Chinese Zodiac Sign [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfgjrohIkN8&feature=youtu.be
Lim, P. (2021, January 14). Good Luck Rituals for the 15 Days of Chinese New Year 2021. WOFS.Com. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://www.wofs.com/good-luck-rituals-for-the-15-days-of-chinese-new-year-2021/#:%7E:text=Chinese%20New%20Year%20is%20so%20important%20that%20preparations,possible%20bringing%20in%20NEW%20furniture%20for%20the%20year.
C. (2021b, October 12). Reunion
Dinner or Chinese New Year Dinner in China. China Highlights - Since 1998! Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-dinner.htm
Chinese New Year Firecrackers. (2021). [Photograph]. https://images.chinahighlights.com/allpicture/2017/02/2bfa7033ff7e47e894604e00_cut_800x500_10.jpg
2021 Chinese New Year Calendar: Day-by-Day Guide for Preparing and
Celebrating Lunar New Year. (2021).Your Chinese Astrology. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/holidays/spring-festival/calendar.htm
A. (2021a, February 11). GongXi Fa Cai’s Meaning Actually Not Happy Chinese New Year. Tek Deeps. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://tekdeeps.com/gong-xi-fa-cais-meaning-actually-not-happy-chinese-new-year/
Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, is just around the corner. If you're looking for some ideas on how to celebrate Chinese New Year at office, Here are 7 excellent Chinese new year ideas for work that are easy to implement and will be fun for your employees.
ReplyDeleteWonderful blog! planning for you will be easy with these chinese new year celebration games which include the Chinese Zodiac Photobooth, wheel of fortune, live kung fu show and many more which will create happy vibes with your employees.
ReplyDelete