The Chinese New Year (Yuan Tan) is fixed by the lunar calendar rather than by a specific date. The new year is marked by the new moon and takes place between the end of January and the end of February.
As with Gregorian new year celebrations, the Chinese New Year is celebrated with family and friends and feasting is common.
Homes are cleaned to remove the previous year’s bad luck and celebrations begin to bring in a new year of luck, health, happiness and wealth.
Street celebrations and parades are common in large cities. Chinese New Year Parades include floats and people dressed in dancing dragons costumes, lifting, tilting and weaving the silk body of the dragon costume and blinking it’s eyes as they make their way through the parade route.
In Chinese culture, the dragon is associated with longevity and wealth. There is a belief that evil spirits dislike loud noise and as a result Chinese decorate their homes with plastic firecrackers and in other cities light real firecrackers to ward off bad luck and evil.
At this time of year you will often see bamboo plants in many floral markets. The Chinese believe that plants and flowers bring good luck and as a result they purchase plants and flowers to mark the new year. In particular the Kumquat, peach, tangerine and bamboo are considered lucky plants. The Kumquat name is a play on the word lucky. Peach blossoms are used to decorate markets and bring luck. Tangerines are considered lucky because of their bright orange colour and must be given in pairs as odd numbers are unlucky.
Joy and happiness are symbolised by the colour red and people will wear red clothing and use red decorations to bring joy and happiness into the new year. Lucky money is also given in red envelopes with a good luck message written in gold.
On New Year’s Day people celebrate with a feast among family and friends. As each Chinese New Year is celebrated with an animal, the animal would not be part of the meal. Homage is paid to ancestors and to the gods.
New clothing is purchased and worn on visits to relatives, friends and neighbours. Good wishes “kung-hsi fa-tsai” which mean congratulations and prosperity are exchanged among family, friends and neighbours. Like with the Gregorian calendar celebrations, old grudges are set aside and new outlook for the year are set.
Go to your local Chinese Neighbourhood and join in the many days of celebration.
