Welcoming in the New Year
It may be 2019, but it’s not quite the New Year yet, at least according to the lunar calendar. There are more celebrations full of fireworks, delicious food, and family reunions to come. This year, it falls on February 5th, bringing the lunar new year in with a colorful bang.
Chinese New Year celebrations last for two weeks, meaning this year’s will end on the 19th of February. For fourteen days there’ll be a continuous celebration, with lots of noise and cheer, but for a fruitful one, preparation is needed. During the week before the New Year, the Little Year begins, dedicated to making the next two weeks successful. The Little Year is a one week preparation period for the following celebration.
But what, exactly, do these two weeks entail?
Traditionally, you invite all of your family and friends to get together and eat, making a variety of delicious dishes. Hotpot is popular, as it’s something done with others and brings some warmth to the chill of the tail end of winter. Fish, rice, and duck meat are all popular in Chinese cuisine, meaning there’s going to be an abundant amount of those things. Niángāo, a delicious chewy dessert, is a New Year cake and definitely something you should eat during the celebration.
You might hear a lot of fireworks and firecrackers this February 5th, and that’s because the Chinese like to welcome the New Year in with some noise. The first day of the New Year should be welcomed loudly, the din believed to chase off the evil spirits of last year. Despite its loud beginning, the first day is also a day to remember your ancestors and to appreciate those who brought you to where you are today.
Each day for the next two weeks is dedicated to something different. Many Chinese gods are very prominent during this period of time, meaning prayers are more easily heard and fortunes more easily told. If you believe in them, these two weeks are the best time to pray for fortune. Decorations of the character 福 (fù; lit. luck) are hung upside down everywhere as a pun on the word for “upside down” and “to arrive”, meaning luck has arrived.
Zodiacs are a prominent part of Chinese culture as well, and this year is the year of the pig. There is a Chinese superstition that warns of bad luck during your zodiac year. If you know anyone born in the year of the pig, have them wear a red string at all times, as the color red is believed to be lucky and can ward off evil.
The New Year is seen as a chance for change, to turn over a new leaf in most cultures. Regardless of whether you celebrate it or not, may luck find you! 新年快乐!恭禧发财!
It may be 2019, but it’s not quite the New Year yet, at least according to the lunar calendar. There are more celebrations full of fireworks, delicious food, and family reunions to come. This year, it falls on February 5th, bringing the lunar new year in with a colorful bang.
Chinese New Year celebrations last for two weeks, meaning this year’s will end on the 19th of February. For fourteen days there’ll be a continuous celebration, with lots of noise and cheer, but for a fruitful one, preparation is needed. During the week before the New Year, the Little Year begins, dedicated to making the next two weeks successful. The Little Year is a one week preparation period for the following celebration.
But what, exactly, do these two weeks entail?
Traditionally, you invite all of your family and friends to get together and eat, making a variety of delicious dishes. Hotpot is popular, as it’s something done with others and brings some warmth to the chill of the tail end of winter. Fish, rice, and duck meat are all popular in Chinese cuisine, meaning there’s going to be an abundant amount of those things. Niángāo, a delicious chewy dessert, is a New Year cake and definitely something you should eat during the celebration.
You might hear a lot of fireworks and firecrackers this February 5th, and that’s because the Chinese like to welcome the New Year in with some noise. The first day of the New Year should be welcomed loudly, the din believed to chase off the evil spirits of last year. Despite its loud beginning, the first day is also a day to remember your ancestors and to appreciate those who brought you to where you are today.
Each day for the next two weeks is dedicated to something different. Many Chinese gods are very prominent during this period of time, meaning prayers are more easily heard and fortunes more easily told. If you believe in them, these two weeks are the best time to pray for fortune. Decorations of the character 福 (fù; lit. luck) are hung upside down everywhere as a pun on the word for “upside down” and “to arrive”, meaning luck has arrived.
Zodiacs are a prominent part of Chinese culture as well, and this year is the year of the pig. There is a Chinese superstition that warns of bad luck during your zodiac year. If you know anyone born in the year of the pig, have them wear a red string at all times, as the color red is believed to be lucky and can ward off evil.
The New Year is seen as a chance for change, to turn over a new leaf in most cultures. Regardless of whether you celebrate it or not, may luck find you! 新年快乐!恭禧发财!