Chinese New Year
Although I previously talked about our holidays in an earlier post, I decided I needed to dedicate a single post for Chinese New Year.
If you think New Year in the US is exciting, it's got nothing on Spring Festival AKA Chinese New Year!
Two weeks filled with fireworks, food, lion dances and more!
Chinese New Year is the largest and most important holiday in China and most of Asia. This is a time for remembering ancestors, cleaning out the old and bringing in the new, visiting loved ones and friends and eating lots and lots of food.
The Chinese calendar is a lunar one so it does NOT coincide with the standard calendar year. December 31st and January 1st are pretty boring here. Occasionally someone will light firecrackers but it's not the real thing for nearly a month!
2017 CNY begins on Friday January 27th! This year is the year of the Rooster.
The Chinese calendar includes 12 zodiacs which are indicated by a specific animal. People born during this year are said to have characteristics of the animal. If your birth year coincides with the current zodiac it is thought to be unlucky so you must work extra hard to bring good luck into your life. Getting red gifts from friends and loved ones, wearing jade or gold and eating lucky foods can help you!
For more details check out this link from China Highlights Chinese New Year 2017
So far Rachel and I have gotten to experience some of the exciting aspects of Chinese New Year.
Here are some things to know about Chinese New Year traditions in Xi'an.
#1- Firecrackers! Although, last year we did see some visible fireworks on the actual holiday, most of the two weeks are filled with non stop noise making firecrackers. This year, however a new law may decrease the firecrackers.
#2- Shopping. Most shops are closed for a portion of Chinese New year to spend time with family and friends. But when they do reopen they have great sales so everyone can start the new year off right. Many schools take their semester break at this time and universities often have a whole month off.
#3- Food. Chinese dumplings like jiaozi 饺子 symbolize wealth and are a very popular CNY dish. Fish and apples are also popular because they too symbolize wealth, plus part of the Chinese symbol for fortune fu 福 looks like an apple when it is written.
#4- Lion Dance. The Lion dance is an ancient tradition with many variations of origin. Nowadays dancers dress up in traditional Lion dance costumes and perform various acrobatic feats on a series of elevated platforms. Generally two acrobats will begin on a small elevated platform and then jump and dance to and from other platforms. Drums are played to create the music and it is an exciting spectacle for everyone.
The style of the lion dance costume comes from early descriptions of the animal to Emperors and leaders. Lions had never been seen, so they created the costume based on the early ideas of the animal.
#5- Hong Bao or Red Envelope. In Chinese tradition, you always give people a red envelope with money inside to celebrate Chinese New Year. These red envelopes are often also called Lucky Money. Many shops and businesses do promotions and "giveaways" for lucky money. Friends send Lucky Money to their social media groups and there are even games people play with each other to get lucky money.
Most of the time parents give Hong Bao to their children and other family members as well, are expected to give Hong Bao to the kids in the family. Hong Bao is also given for most other occasions as well. Birthdays, weddings, new babies etc. If you want to gift someone in China, just give them a Hong Bao.
All in all, Chinese New year is a holiday rich in ancient traditions. It is a time for families to reunite, celebrate the past year and prepare for the new year. It is always a colorful and exciting time in China.
If you think New Year in the US is exciting, it's got nothing on Spring Festival AKA Chinese New Year!
Two weeks filled with fireworks, food, lion dances and more!
Chinese New Year is the largest and most important holiday in China and most of Asia. This is a time for remembering ancestors, cleaning out the old and bringing in the new, visiting loved ones and friends and eating lots and lots of food.
The Chinese calendar is a lunar one so it does NOT coincide with the standard calendar year. December 31st and January 1st are pretty boring here. Occasionally someone will light firecrackers but it's not the real thing for nearly a month!
2017 CNY begins on Friday January 27th! This year is the year of the Rooster.
The Chinese calendar includes 12 zodiacs which are indicated by a specific animal. People born during this year are said to have characteristics of the animal. If your birth year coincides with the current zodiac it is thought to be unlucky so you must work extra hard to bring good luck into your life. Getting red gifts from friends and loved ones, wearing jade or gold and eating lucky foods can help you!
For more details check out this link from China Highlights Chinese New Year 2017
So far Rachel and I have gotten to experience some of the exciting aspects of Chinese New Year.
Here are some things to know about Chinese New Year traditions in Xi'an.
#1- Firecrackers! Although, last year we did see some visible fireworks on the actual holiday, most of the two weeks are filled with non stop noise making firecrackers. This year, however a new law may decrease the firecrackers.
#2- Shopping. Most shops are closed for a portion of Chinese New year to spend time with family and friends. But when they do reopen they have great sales so everyone can start the new year off right. Many schools take their semester break at this time and universities often have a whole month off.
#3- Food. Chinese dumplings like jiaozi 饺子 symbolize wealth and are a very popular CNY dish. Fish and apples are also popular because they too symbolize wealth, plus part of the Chinese symbol for fortune fu 福 looks like an apple when it is written.
#4- Lion Dance. The Lion dance is an ancient tradition with many variations of origin. Nowadays dancers dress up in traditional Lion dance costumes and perform various acrobatic feats on a series of elevated platforms. Generally two acrobats will begin on a small elevated platform and then jump and dance to and from other platforms. Drums are played to create the music and it is an exciting spectacle for everyone.
The style of the lion dance costume comes from early descriptions of the animal to Emperors and leaders. Lions had never been seen, so they created the costume based on the early ideas of the animal.
#5- Hong Bao or Red Envelope. In Chinese tradition, you always give people a red envelope with money inside to celebrate Chinese New Year. These red envelopes are often also called Lucky Money. Many shops and businesses do promotions and "giveaways" for lucky money. Friends send Lucky Money to their social media groups and there are even games people play with each other to get lucky money.
Most of the time parents give Hong Bao to their children and other family members as well, are expected to give Hong Bao to the kids in the family. Hong Bao is also given for most other occasions as well. Birthdays, weddings, new babies etc. If you want to gift someone in China, just give them a Hong Bao.
All in all, Chinese New year is a holiday rich in ancient traditions. It is a time for families to reunite, celebrate the past year and prepare for the new year. It is always a colorful and exciting time in China.
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