What kind of holiday is this?

At a time when most countries of the world welcome the new year on the night from December 31 to January 1, residents of East Asian countries are still preparing for the main holiday of the year. Chinese new year (Chun Jie), which we often call the Chinese New Year, does not have a fixed date. It is calculated according to a special calendar that indicates the different phases of the moon. In 2022, the celebration begins on February 1, the water tiger will be the symbol of the new year.

How did the idea of ​​celebrating the Chinese New Year come about?

New Year according to the lunar calendar China also called “nyan”, which means “year” in Chinese. The holiday is about 4,000 years old and is supported by ancient legends. It is believed that in ancient China there lived a monster called Nian (New Year’s Beast). During the year, it was in the depths of the sea, and on the eve of the new year, it went to human settlements, devoured livestock, food supplies, and killed the inhabitants of villages and cities. People in fear left their homes and hid in the mountains.

One day, an unknown grandfather came to the settlement and promised its residents to destroy the restless monster. He painted the door of the house red and lit a fire inside. So it turned out that the beast is afraid of fire and everything that has a red color. Also, the terrifying monster does not tolerate loud noise. Since then, on the eve of the Chinese New Year, there is a tradition in East Asia – to stick red signs with inscriptions on the front door, light candles and celebrate as loudly as possible, staying up until the morning.

Celebrating the New Year in China connected not only with the fight against evil forces. The holiday often symbolizes the end of winter and the arrival of spring, which is why it is also called Chunjie, which translates as “Spring Festival”. And it is not surprising. The celebration of the new year lasts for 2 weeks and ends in the middle or end of the last month of winter. At this time, the earth and everything on it comes alive, filled with new energy. There is a belief among the people: the earlier the Spring Festival takes place, the warmer and more fruitful the next year will be.

How to celebrate the Chinese New Year?

Considering the deep history and long period of celebration, the New Year’s holiday according to the lunar calendar has many traditions that are carefully observed by the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire and other Asian countries. Not only the holiday itself is important, but also the preparation for it.

Features of preparation

It is necessary to start preparing for the celebration of the Chinese New Year long before the start of the holiday. On the 23rd day of the last month, a general cleansing begins: people thoroughly clean their homes and try to free themselves from bad thoughts and memories that have accumulated over the past year.

Chinese New Year celebration closely intertwined with religion. There is an opinion that before the new year, the family deity Jiaowan reports to the Heavenly Emperor about the state of the family. Therefore, religious people try to appease this deity so that it transmits only good information to heaven. For this, a variety of delicacies are laid out in front of the statue of Jiaowan.

On the day before the festive evening, Chinese people visit the graves of loved ones and relatives to honor their memory.

Decorating the house is a whole ritual that precedes the meeting of the new year. Bright garlands are hung on the windows, they are decorated with patterns and figurines. In the morning on the day of the holiday, the Chinese attend a religious service, where they ask for happiness for themselves and their relatives for the whole year.

New Year’s table

On the evening of the celebration, people sit down to the New Year’s dinner. Usually this event takes place in a narrow family circle. The festive table “breaks” with a variety of dishes. The main ones are jiaozi dumplings, various sweets and fish dishes.

Features of the celebration

Traditionally, the New Year holiday is celebrated for 15 days, where each day is assigned a certain role in the celebration. So, on the first day, people gather for a festive dinner. Loud festivities with fireworks and various entertainment are organized on the streets. An interesting tradition is the burning of bamboo sticks, which symbolizes good luck and happiness for the whole year.

The second day is a day of prayers. People visit monasteries, pray for their relatives and for the prosperity of the family. Children are the happiest on this day – they will receive red envelopes with pocket money as a gift.

On the third and fourth days, it is customary to visit relatives. These days, business is slowly starting to come back to life, in particular, large companies are starting their work.

The next two days, the holiday gradually subsides, everyone goes to work. However, in the morning it is necessary to enjoy national dumplings, and in the evening the streets continue to be filled with bright fireworks.

The seventh day is a day of prayers and fish salad called yusheng. People believe that in this way they attract wealth and prosperity in the coming year.

Festive evenings for the family are arranged until the 10th day of the celebration. Yuanxiao is served on the table – pastry in the form of a dumpling. The next day is considered son-in-law’s day, when the father-in-law arranges a loud celebration for his son-in-law.

On the 12th, 13th, and 14th days, the body is cleansed of excessively consumed food. And the last day of New Year festivities is called the Lantern Festival. On this day, you can see many red lanterns on the streets.

On the 15th day, it is customary to wear mandarin necklaces and eat sweet rice balls, which are a symbol of a happy future. This day is especially rich in entertainment, huge concerts are arranged, numerous fireworks are set off.

Celebration Chinese New Year in other countries

Lunar New Year is celebrated not only in China. He is honored in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc. The Chinese New Year festival has a huge influence on celebrations in similar cultures: Korean, Japanese, Tibetan.

Due to the large migration of Chinese, the New Year according to the Chinese calendar is celebrated in distant countries. For example, this holiday has been celebrated in Ukraine since 2012. In particular, in Lviv and other cities of Ukraine there is a festival of international significance dedicated to the Chinese New Year in Ukraine.

🎁 Gifts on Chinese new year

	Gold Tiger coin for great wealth and luck
	Designer for the Chinese New Year. Pandas
	Chinese balls “Dragon and Phoenix” are green
	A cup of wealth is a small ingot
	Oriental decorative table lamp

When will we celebrate? Chinese New Year?