Gong Xi Fa Cai - Happy Chinese New Year

Today all Chinese people celebrate their new year. The Chinese New Year or also known as Spring Festival is celebrated on the first day of the lunar month in the Chinese calendar. That is why it is also called The Lunar New Year by people outside of China. It is the most important Chinese traditional holidays. It ends on the 15th which is called the Lantern Festival. This year is the 2559th Chinese New Year.

History
The origin of the Chinese New Year is itself centuries old, way too old to be traced. According to Wikipedia, before the Qin dynasty it is not clear when this new year was celebrated. The beginning of the year has had many different version, in Xia Dynasty it was said to have begun at month 1, month 12 during the Shang Dynasty and month 11 during the Zhou Dynasty. The beginning of the year was then changed to month 10 in 221 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. It was then changed again to month 1 by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in 104 BC.

The Myth
The history behind the color red and firecrackers is really interesting. Chinese people believed that every 12 month a man-eating beast would come out and prey on human. They also believed that it is sensitive to loud noises and the color red. So to scare the beast away they use explosions, firecrackers, fireworks and use red color on everything.

Activities
Preparations of the new year usually begin one month before the new year's date. This is when people start buying new clothes, presents, decoration materials and food. Days before the new year, Chinese people will do a huge clean up of the house to sweep away traces of bad luck. Doors and window panes then will be repainted using usually the color red. After that it will be decorated using paper cuts and couplets with themes showing happiness, wealth and longevity printed on it.

New Year's Day
This day is used to welcome deities of heaven and earth. Many people especially Buddhist do not eat meat on this day to ensure longevity for them. The use of fires and knives are prohibited as it is believed to bring bad luck. That is why all food are cooked the day before. On this day also families will visit their oldest and most senior member of the family, usually their parents, grand parents or great grand parents. A lion dance is performed to evict evil spirits. Now for junior member of the families (children and teenagers) the most awaited tradition is when they are given red packets containing cash which is called Hong Bao. The new year is also the day where you put all grudges behind you, so people visit their neighbors and friends and forgive each other as the western saying "let bygones be bygones". New year is a day where you forgive and forget.

Lantern Festival

It is held during the last day of the Chinese New Year Festival. On this day, Chinese people eat rice dumplings. Candles are lit outside of the house to guide the spirits home and families walk in the street carrying lighted lanterns.