In 2021, the Chinese Lunar New Year is on February 12th, which is 农历正月初一, the first day of the first lunar month. It can be recognized as January 1st in the Chinese Lunar calendar, however, in the Lunar calendar, there are only 354 or 355 days in the year. This is because, in the Lunar calendar, the days are based on the time it takes for the moon to circle the earth, making each month approximately 29.53059 days.
Origins
In the ancient China civilization, people believed in studying astronomical phenomena to predict what will happen, a part of their culture. They believed that praying for their elders and ancestral spirit will provide them with good luck. Throughout China’s 5000 years history or 3500 years history with records, the dates that Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated has changed according to the emperors’ type of calendar. Before July 1913, the new year was only to celebrate the crossing of the year, from then on, approved by Yuan Shikai, it is now an official festival with holidays.
Celebrations
There are many traditional celebrations that are conducted during the Chinese Lunar New Year. Cultural and symbolizing activities include but are not limited to lion and dragon dances, temple fairs, lanterns, drums and gongs, walking on stilts, twisting Yangko, and flower market strolling. Repeating the ways to celebrate like the ancestors, they will still pray for a good next year. Throughout the different ethnicities of China, their special ways of celebrating vary slightly.
Even though the Chinese Lunar New Year has a set date, but the traditions and celebrations are held before and after. Before the celebration starts, people from all over the world gather back with their families to prepare to celebrate. On New Year’s Eve, the families eat reunion dinner. The reunion dinner is a large part of the celebration, from ancient China, this tradition has always been passed on. Often, the meal includes chicken, fish, oyster sauce, yuba, lotus root, lettuce, raw garlic, and sausages, because they have special lucky meanings in Chinese. Most parents or elders will give their children red envelopes, to press down the bad spirits. The family would stay up all night, waiting for the next year to begin. During the night, they will light fires with their entire family together. Chatting beside the candle lights represent expelling the monstrous creatures. Nowadays, people like to watch Chinese New Year shows that can be found on TV channels.
During Chinese New Year, the first thing that everyone does is to use firecrackers to celebrate the new year. Using their loud sounds to remove the old and welcome the new. Also, it is a fun aspect and can make the holiday more thrilling. Friends and families visit each other and give gifts, showing empathy to everyone around them, and wishing them a Happy New Year. There are people all over the streets, making it even more exciting. Special desserts for the holiday are rice cakes, glutenous rice balls, dumplings, and spring rolls. Until the 15th day of the Lunar calendar, the lantern festival day, the celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year officially marks an end.
Written by The Nine Eves
The Anonymous Helpers (TAH)
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