The festivities of Chinese New Year dont actually start on an offical day each year, instead the day that it starts is actually based on the Lunar Calendar. The holiday usually begins on when there is a new moon after the winter solstice (About December 21st). The dates usually range between 21st of January to the 20th of February. No one actually knows the exact day when Chinese New Year was created, but many people speculate that it originated in the Shang Dynasty (1046 – 1600 BC), when people held ceremonies in honor of our ancestors and gods at the end or beginning of each year.
The origins of Chinese New Year also are steeped in legends. One legend is that thousands of years ago there was a monster called “Nian”, as you can see from the picture below. The legend goes that on the day of Chinese New Year the Nian would come out of its hiding place (In the sea or on the mountains) and feed on humans and animals. Today, the Nian is the dragon in the Chinese New Year festivals dragon dance. The main color In Chinese New Year is Red, because its the color that scares of the Nian, preventing it from feasting on people and animals.
Continuing on with the festivity traditions, the day is filled with many thrilling activities! The kids would go out and play with other kids in the neighborhood and later on would typically go to a festival. Throughout the day everyone would wear a traditional Chinese Outfit called “Hanfu”. The Chinese New Year festival includes many activities such as watching the dragon dance, making kites, and decorating your very own lanterns. The festival site is usually filled with many stalls and bright colors. Annually a few days before Chinese New Year begins, people would go out to places called flower stalls to buy a wide range of flowers to decorate their houses with. Many popular flowers include Orchids, Peach Blossoms, Lotus Flowers, and Chrysanthemums. Later that day, families would get together and sometimes have a huge party in honor of welcoming the New Year, hoping to bring good wealth, happiness, and health to everyone. Traditionally, the kids would give their elders mandarin oranges, in exchange for red envelopes that have money in them. At night is usually when the fireworks show begins! Everyone would gather outside in a specific place where the fireworks begin and watch along with their families, but of course firework shows are held all over China! Some kids would come to the festivals with colorful sparklers to play with (Under Supervision of course). The fireworks show is usually includes many colorful fireworks that can last for hours on end!
Me and my families tradition for Chinese New Year is usually to go out and buy some new clothes, watch a live Chinese New Year livestream from China, since we cant be there in person most years, and have a big feast with family. We would usually eat hot pot, thats filled with many varieties of food, and my parents would have King Crab, with some wine.
This blog post is meaningful to me because it tells the tradition of a holiday thats quite important in my family. Here is a few fun ways to celebrate the new year with the following link! https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/01/20/10-fun-ways-to-celebrate-lunar-new-year/.