Chinese New Year History and customs of Chinese spring

New Year is the beginning to live again. This beginning takes a special form in every culture and country and forms the New Year celebration of that country. At China Also, this ceremony is held in a different way. Chinese New Year is derived from an old legend called a monster, which has its own customs.

The Chinese New Year is specially named every year, each of which has its own meanings and symbols. Familiarity with this culture of each country connects the people of different countries together and forms the global community, that's why in this article we Flytoday tourism magazine We intend to provide you with complete information about Chinese New Year, so stay with us.

History of the Chinese spring

The history of Chinese spring goes back to an old legend called the monster. Chinese people believe that thousands of years ago, a monster named Nian (meaning year) attacked a village at the beginning of every year. The people of that village used to make the monster escape by setting fire to the bamboo wood and making noise and light. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation and continues to this day. For this reason, the Chinese New Year is accompanied by firecrackers and fireworks and wearing red clothes, even cash gifts are put in red envelopes.

Chinese New Year time

Chinese New Year coincides with the Lunar New Year, so the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. But it is usually held between January 21 and February 20 (Bahan). Chinese Spring, which is another name for Chinese New Year, is considered the most important event in China and Chinese communities, who celebrate it for 15 days. If you want to travel to China at this time, in the article Sights of BeijingGet to know the attractions of this spectacular city.

Holidays in Chinese New Year

Since the mid-1990s, Chinese people have been given 7 days off at the beginning of the New Year to celebrate the coming of spring with their families, this one week called Spring Festival was named But for several years, the holiday in Chinese New Year has changed to 15 days, and each day has a special title to celebrate.

Chinese New Year customs

Chinese culture also has special customs for the beginning of the new year that make this celebration more lasting. These customs begin with cleaning the houses and end with the Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year customs are:

• cleaning the house: Before the coming of spring, Chinese people clean their houses and make changes in their living and working places because they believe that by doing this they will remove the bad luck of the previous year and the renewal and cleanliness of the house will bring good luck to their homes.. Red is the main color of the New Year celebration, which symbolizes good luck, prosperity and energy which causes evil and negative spirits to stay away from them.
• Respect for the dead: Another Chinese New Year tradition is honoring the lost. One day before the beginning of the Chinese New Year, they visit their ancestors. After that, they eat New Year's dinner and leave an extra glass and plate in their memory.

• Reunion dinner: On New Year's Eve, wherever Chinese people are, they gather with their families to have the year-end dinner together, that's why they call it reunion dinner.
• Red envelopes or Sui Qian: Sui Qian are the red money envelopes that are given to children and the elderly (pensioners). Other Chinese New Year gifts are tea, fruit and candy.
• Holding numerous celebrations to make the monster escape: In every city and village of China, many celebrations are held Firecrackers and fireworks are one of the main pillars of these celebrations. Chinese people believe that by lighting a fire, they scare evil and drive them away.
• Dragon and the Lion Dance: The dragon is considered the most important symbol of China, for this reason, dragon and lion dances are seen in many Chinese neighborhoods for good luck and prosperity in the new year.
• Other Chinese traditions in the New Year include: Wearing new clothes, staying up late and watching the spring festival Cited.
• Lantern Festival: On the 15th day of spring, Chinese people light lanterns to honor their ancestors. In fact, the end of the Chinese New Year holiday is the Lantern Festival. The purpose of the Lantern Festival or Yuan Xiao Festival is to promote reconciliation, peace and forgiveness. Good to know that Lantern Festival in Thailand is also held.

Happy Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is considered the most important event for the Chinese. People congratulate each other on the New Year with the words “Happy New Year” and “Wishing you wealth and happiness”. Gift giving is one of the common customs in Chinese New Year and gifts are usually placed in red envelopes.

Because the color red is a symbol of good luck for the Chinese, they decorate their homes and workplaces with red decorative items and symbolic objects such as dragons and lions. Also, people go to see and visit their acquaintances and treat each other with sweets.

Tips on naming years after animals

The naming of the Chinese year after animals comes from an old legend that shaped the Chinese calendar. This story tells that many years ago, to measure time, the Chinese Empire held a competition of animals on its birthday to write the names of each of the 12 winners among the stars. The competition was such that the animals had to cross the river to reach the finish line.

The participants were mice, cats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, horses, snakes, sheep, monkeys, roosters, dogs and pigs. Due to their size, the mouse and the cat could not cross the stream of water, so they asked the help of the cow to ride him and reach the finish line sooner. But at the end of the path, the mouse pushed the cat into the water and won the first place and the cow won the second place.

After them, the tiger was able to get out of the river and the rabbit quickly reached the end point by jumping over the stones of the river. The dragon reached the finish line after them. By crawling and getting ahead of the horse, the snake got the sixth place and the horse got the seventh place. After them, sheep, monkey and rooster built a boat with the help of each other and crossed the river and reached the finish line together.

The dog, who was very busy playing in the open air, arrived later, and finally, after eating and resting, the pot-bellied pig reached the twelfth place. The poor cat, who was watching the match longingly, swore to avenge the mouse's betrayal. This is why mice always run away from cats. Of course, this story is told in some way in every country and maybe the names of these animals are different in every country.

What animal is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year in 2024 is the year of the dragon. The dragon is one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac and the year of the dragon comes every 12 years. In Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol of strength, courage, bravery, creativity, and good luck. People born in the year of the dragon also generally have these characteristics. The interesting thing about the year of the dragon is that the dragon is the only imaginary animal in the Chinese zodiac. Also, the number 9 is auspicious in Chinese culture and the dragon is associated with this number.

Chinese New Year and fireworks

Chinese New Year fireworks are an important part of this celebration. In Chinese culture, to drive away evil spirits and monsters, people would make noise by burning bamboo sticks, and the sound of the explosion would frighten them. From that year onwards, Chinese people play fireworks during the New Year celebration It is believed that anyone who lights the first fireworks of the New Year will be lucky.

Traditional foods in Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year customs include traditional foods. Each of these foods has a special symbol, and New Year's Eve dinner is especially important, because the Chinese believe that the coming year will bring them happiness and luck. It is interesting to know that the symbol of Chinese food depends on their pronunciation or appearance.

• Fish: Fish in Chinese means excess and abundance, that's why they eat fish for New Year's dinner to make more profit in the coming year.
• Chinese dumplings: Chinese dumplings are considered one of the popular Chinese New Year foods due to their resemblance to shamsh. According to an old legend, the more dumplings you eat, the more wealth you will get in the new year.
• Chicken: In China, the chicken is a symbol of unity and means a good beginning and end. Interestingly, chicken feet are usually eaten by the breadwinner of the family, as it helps them gain more wealth.
• Sticky Rice Cake: Another traditional Chinese New Year food is glutinous rice cake. In Chinese culture, to improve your life and prosper your business, you must be able to progress, and they eat this cake to progress in their life.
• Spring rolls, sweet rice balls, noodles, steamed pork, shrimp, vegetables and fruits Other traditional foods in Chinese New Year are those that are cooked during the holiday.

Chinese New Year dress

Clothing is very important in Chinese culture, and Chinese New Year is an opportunity for people to welcome the New Year by wearing new and beautiful clothes. The type of Chinese New Year dress depends on people's age, gender and social status. As we said before, the color red in Chinese culture symbolizes good luck and prosperity, and for this reason, many people wear red clothes during Chinese New Year. Other popular colors for Chinese New Year include:

• Golden: symbol of wealth and prosperity
• Green: symbol of growth and health
• Blue: symbol of peace and tranquility

Similarities of Chinese New Year and ancient Iranian Nowruz

New Year brings freshness and vitality in every country, it doesn't matter whether it is Christmas, Chinese New Year or Nowruz. The nature of all these celebrations is change. Spring Eid in China is not dissimilar to ancient Nowruz in Iran. Like Iranians, before the New Year, Chinese people clean their house and make a change in its decoration, eat fish on New Year's Eve, visit their lost ones, visit their relatives and acquaintances, and anywhere They come to visit their families to celebrate the New Year together.

Chinese New Year in America

The Chinese New Year festival has become increasingly popular in America. Chinese communities across the United States celebrate this holiday with parades, performances, and of course, attractive and colorful food. The Chinese New Year celebration in America is an opportunity for people of all cultures to learn about Chinese culture and enjoy the food, entertainment, and company of the crowd. Some popular places to celebrate Chinese New Year in America include:

• Chinatown in San Francisco
• Chinatown in New York
• Chinatown in Los Angeles
• Houston
• Chicago

Chinese spring; Red spring to start the new year

New Year in China is different from other countries. Chinese New Year is considered one of the best times to travel to China due to celebrations and festivals. Traveling to China at this time gives tourists the opportunity to learn more about the culture and history of China. You can with Buying plane tickets And hotel reservation Or even buy Travel tours Experience a trip to one of the most different countries in the world.

If you have experience attending Chinese New Year celebrations, we will be happy to share with us and other Flytoday users.

Frequently asked questions about Chinese New Year