Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, known in modern China as the ‘Spring Festival’, is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the traditional Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had an influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its neighbors, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

According to tales and legends, Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the ‘Nian’. One year, all the villagers decided to go away to hide from the beast as it would eat them, especially the children. An old man came to the village and told the villagers that he decided to get revenge. He put red papers up and set off firecrackers. The day after, the villagers came back to their village and saw that nothing was destroyed. They thought that the old man was a deity who came to save them. Then they understood that the Nian was afraid of the colour red and loud noises. When the New Year was about to come, the villagers would wear red clothes, hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. From then on, Nian never came back to the village again. Today, there are lots of different regional customs and traditions to celebrate the Chinese New Year within China. The first day is for welcoming the deities of the heavens and earth, and it officially begins at midnight. Traditionally fireworks are lit, and bamboo sticks and firecrackers are burnt to chase off the evil spirit. However, some people consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck on New Year’s Day, so they cook their food the day before.

Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time to visit the oldest members of the families, usually grandparents and great-grandparents. A reunion dinner called ‘Nian Ye Fan’ is also held on this day. Red envelopes are given during this dinner from older people to younger people. These envelopes often contain money and sometimes chocolate coins. Small gifts, usually food or sweets are also exchanged between friends or relatives during Chinese New Year. Gifts are usually brought when visiting friends or relatives at their homes. Common gifts include fruits, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and sweets. During Chinese New Year, dance troupes visit houses and shops in Asian communities to perform the famous lion dance. The dance is believed to bring good luck and chase off bad spirits.