In the West we celebrate New year on the 31st of December as the clock chimes over into the 1st of January at midnight. We party for one night, have a family get together on the 1st to spend that first day of the year together and then it is business as usual. For the Chinese, however, the New Year is celebrated at a different time and the celebrations are significantly longer and more impressive. In this blog we will take a look at the Chinese New Year and some of the traditions that are part of the celebrations.
When is Chinese New Year
In 2023 Chinese New Year will start on the 22nd of January and the celebrations will run for 16 days with the first 7 days being public holidays. 2023 sees the transition from the year of the Tiger to the Year of the Rabbit and the year of the Rabbit will run to February the 9th 2024. Each year the date on which the New Year starts is different. For example, the current year of the Tiger started on the 1st of February 2022 and ends on the 21st January 2022. The reason why the date in the Gregorian calendar is different from year to year is that Chinese New Year is based on the moon and is celebrated on the second new moon following the winter solstice. This fluctuates year to year from Late January to mid-February.
12 Zodiacs
2023 is the year of the Rabbit, there are a total of 12 Chinese Zodiac signs: Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon and Snake, Horse, Goat and Monkey. In 2017 it was the sign of the Rooster and each year after the zodiac changed in the order given above, so 2018 was the year of the Dog and 2024 will be the year of the Dragon. Each animal has its own characteristics and traits and you can find a much more detailed description of each animal on the China Highlights webpage on the zodiac signs.
Spring Festival
Just as a fun fact, did you know that the Chinese New Year is also referred to as the Spring Festival? Despite it being cold still the festival marks the end of the coldest and shortest days and starts to look forward to planting crops and the harvest. As such people pray to the gods to wish for a good planting and harvest season.
Firecrackers
Firecrackers are a massive part of the Chinese New Year celebrations and this tradition comes from the Myth of the monster Nian. It is held that the monster would come and torment people on New Year’s Eve and the people would hide in their homes until one night a young boy braved the monster and scared him off with firecrackers. The next day people celebrated their victory by setting off even more firecrackers. So, firecrackers are still used to ward off bad luck and welcome the New Year and elicit good luck.
No Showers!
According to tradition showering, sweeping or throwing out the rubbish is not allowed on New Year’s Day. This is the prevent the good luck that is being celebrated from being washed or thrown away. Some other taboos for the celebrations are: Hair cutting, using sharp implements like knives or scissors, arguing or swearing, breaking things and saying unlucky words such as death or sickness. There are many other things that traditionally are not allowed and you can read all about them on the Chinese New Year taboos webpage.
Red Envelopes
Red Envelopes are given out over the celebrations and these are called yā suì qián, which means “money to anchor the year”. The envelopes contain money which is called lucky or New Year’s money and they pass on a year of good fortune and blessings. This tradition, according to some stories also stems from the legend of the monster Nian. The money was given to children so they had means to bribe Nian to leave them alone.
Red Decorations
Every family decorates their home with red: Red lanterns, strings of chilli’s (real or fake), red paper pasted on doors and even wear new red clothing. Once again this goes back to the legend of Nian who was believed to be scared of the colour red. Added to this, though, the Chinese believe that red is a happy colour and represents good fortune. Decorations play a big part in the festivities and homes will be decorated with auspicious symbols made of red paper such as fish, peaches, dragons and phoenixes. Images of Gods and revered historical figures are pasted on to entrance doors. One of the most famous is Zhong Kui who was a famous demon hunter and whose image is hung to protect families in the coming year.
One Year Older
In China, you have a real age, based on the date you were actually born and then also a nominal age which is based on the New year when everyone is one year older. It is still quite common for people to use their “New Year’s” age so never assume!
Celebrations
Celebrations begin before the New Year itself and start with a thorough cleaning of the house to clean away bad luck and misfortune. On New Year’s Eve it is traditional for a family to get together for a re-union dinner. Most families move heaven and earth to attend this culturally important meal. On New Year’s Day itself the celebrations carry on with the setting off of firecrackers and watching lion and dragon dances. On subsequent days families spend time together and tombs of ancestors are visited by some to pay their respects. The final day of the celebrations, day 15 is marked by the Chinese Lantern Festival where lanterns are lit and all New Year’s taboos come to an end. This tradition has been going on for over 2,000 years and one story of its origin is that Emperor Hanmingdi was an advocate for Buddhism and when he heard that some monks lit lanterns in their temples to show respect to Buddha on the 15th day of the first lunar month he ordered that all temples and households did the same.
Chinese New Year is steeped in history, culture and tradition, but most of all it is a time for bring in luck and good fortune and spending quality time with family.
