Chinese New Year春 chūn 节 jié

How is Chinese New Year Different from your New Year?

Chinese calendar is lunisolar (it combines parts of the lunar 阴 yīn 历 lì and solar calendars 阳 yáng 历 lì )

The traditional Chinese year春 chūn 节 jié , begins on the first day of their New Year celebration—which date changes from year to year.

The Legend Behind the Holiday

The Chinese New Year began with the fight against a mythical beast called the 年 nián ("Year" in Chinese).

According to the legend, the Nian would come into the village and devour livestock, crops, and villagers on the first day of New Year.

What did they do?Then they discovered the Nian was scared of the color red and loud sounds. They began hanging red lanterns and spring scrolls on their doors and windows every new year.They also used firecrackers to scare the Nian away.

Some things that happen during the New Years holiday…

- Chinese New Year is a public holiday in many countries that have a large Chinese population

- Businesses Close for several days- Large migration of Chinese to their ancestral

homes for reunion dinners

Common BeliefsThe attitude that you have on New Year will be the

attitude you have all year.If you cry on New year, you’ll cry all year

Some children are allowed to be more rambunctious than usual because it’s bad luck to punish the kids.

Good Luck 好运

- Eat sweets so you have a “sweet” year- Clean house(top to bottom) before the New

Year so everything will be “new” in the new year

- No cleaning after the new year’s eve

Lucky words

• People greets each other with lucky words

• 恭 gōng 喜 xǐ 发 fā 财 cái • 新 xīn 年 nián 快 kuài 乐 lè • 步 bù 步 bù 高 gāo 升 shēng • 岁 suì 岁 suì 平 píng 安 ān

Fish is important New Year food

• 鱼 yú (fish) sounds like 馀 yú (left over)• 年 nián 年 nián 有 yǒu 馀 yú (there are left

over every year)

Mandarin oranges and apples

橘jú(orange) ＆吉 jí (lucky)

苹 píng 果 guǒ (apple) ＆平 píng 安 ān (safe)

Dumplings 饺 jiăo 子 zi (look like ancient gold bars)

年 nián 夜 yè 饭 fàn • New Year’s Eve 除 chú 夕 xì• Family gather together on new year’s eve to

have the big meal together. It’s called 年nián 夜 yè 饭 fàn

火 huǒ 锅 guō

- Hang red lanterns- Wear red clothing- Wear new clothes- Sleep with the lights on to scare ghosts away

Bad Luck- Getting a haircut during

the first lunar month- Washing your hair- Sweeping the floor- Talking about death

- Giving anything in increments of 4 四 is also bad luck. 4 in Chinese sounds like the word for death ( 死 ).

- Buying books ( 书 ) is bad luck.- Wearing black (symbolizes bad luck) or white

clothes (funeral color).

Red Packets 红 hóng 包 bāo - Adults give red packets to kids and

unmarried members of the family.- Packets contain money.- Always in even numbers.

15 days to CelebrateDay 1: 拜 bài 年 nián - families visit the oldest member of their extended family- Red packets given to young/unmarried family members- FirecrackersDay 2: 回 huí 娘 niáng 家 jiā - Married daughters visit - birth parents

Days 3: sleep lateDays 4: Greet GodsDay 5: separate, go back to work

Day 15: Lantern Festival

Chinese Lantern Festival- The 15th day of the Chinese New Year.- Observed at the full moon.- Traditionally, Chinese people put our red lanterns to

celebrate the 1st New moon of the new year