The Chinese Year of the Dog begins on February 16, 2018. The Dog is one of the 12-year cycles of animals which form the Chinese zodiac. It refers to people born in 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, and 2018.
The Chinese Spring Festival (often referred to as Chinese New Year) is based on the lunar calendar, so the starting and ending dates change each year. This is the most important and longest public holiday in China, beginning on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, and ending on the 15th day of the first lunar month of the following year. This year it ends with the Lantern Festival on March 2nd.
Chinese New Year / Spring Festival Planning
The Spring Festival is a time of change and new beginnings. Most activities focus on removing the old and welcoming the new. People are expected to forget about previous misfortunes and be ready for good luck to enter their lives. It's a time to be with friends and family, feasting and looking forward to a prosperous year ahead.
Streets, buildings and houses are decorated with red color paper cut-outs and couplets with popular themes such as "good fortune", "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". Red is the main color for the festival since red is an auspicious color. Most public decorations are put up one month in advance whereas home decorating is done on New Year's Eve.
New clothes are an integral part of the festivities. Historically, China was an agrarian society where people scrimped and saved throughout the year waiting for the harvests to have money to spend. Chinese New Year became a time when people splurged and treated themselves. Buying new clothes was a sign that the family was doing well. Although not quite as significant today, new clothes remains an integral part of the celebration.
It is also a long-standing tradition to set off firecrackers when the clock hits midnight on New Year's Eve. They add to the sounds and cheers. Most displays are public and put on by the local government.
What to Avoid and What to Do
There are many behaviors that are best avoided during the festival period: cleaning clothes, using scissors, and sweeping floors (you might sweep away good luck) to name a few. According to Chinese superstition, doing any of these on the first day of the New Year will cause bad luck for the next year. I find this curious in 2018 since in the Chinese zodiac the dog symbolizes luck.
Families thoroughly clean the house, sort of their version of "spring cleaning". Many Chinese restaurants also use the New Year to clean so that they sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration differ widely. Buddhists may avoid eating meat on the first day because it is thought that this ensures their longevity.
Since some people think lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck on the first day, meals are prepared the day before.
Specific Actions for Days
- New Year's Eve: This is the time for an annual reunions dinner.
- After dinner, children receive red envelopes containing cash, in crisp, new bills. The number "4" in Chinese sounds like "death", so it is considered bad luck to give 4, 40, 400, etc. Even numbers, except four, are preferred over odd numbers. It is best if the amount starts or ends in eight.
- In the North, Chinese dumplings are the must-eat food on Chinese New Year's Eve, but south of the Yangtze River, most people eat spring rolls or sticky rice cakes.
- On the first day of the New Year, people honor their elders and families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended families, usually their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. This may continue for several days.
- The Lantern Festival falls on the final, or 15th day of the first lunar month. This marks the end of New Year celebrations with a party under the full moon. Lanterns are themed around that year's animal from the Chinese Zodiac. Some lanterns take the form of hanging shapes - from flowers to fish - between the eaves of buildings.
Chinese New Year around the World
The Hong Kong celebrations are those that most foreigners are familiar with - fireworks, dragon/lion dances and a parade of carnival floats.
New Year celebrations in local Chinatowns around the world are inspired by those in Hong Kong. Much of what is seen in Chinatowns from San Francisco to Sydney originated in Hong Kong.
How will you celebrate Chinese New Year?
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